Read on Twitter
Sharing something personal. It’s been bothering me for a week now. A lot. As a communicator, if I don’t say something it will fester. So here goes. Yes, it should have been an article. But since this happened here, it will stay here.
Last week I had a video interview scheduled with a female of great merit in AI. Was looking forward to it, prepared questions, etc. Love talking to women in tech since, you know, I kind of am one myself.
Her assistant let mine know last minute she wasn’t feeling well (image below). It was postponed. No biggie. Happens.
My assistant said we’d reschedule depending on open slots. The truth is, this was probably our last interview for the year on video but it didn’t seem worth sharing that much. Just that we’d be in touch.
This respected woman in AI sent this as the response. I was driving, my ass’t called me, letting me know I better go look at Twitter. See above about the PTSD, racist treatment, etc. Scratching your head? Us too!
Then shared a link to the first of many tweets (several since deleted) breaking down our racism, sexist, anti-immigrant stance, garnering hundreds of likes, RT’s, and vows to cancel us as a publication and me as a person.
And this respected woman in AI has like, 40k followers. They went nuts. I was off that day for my daughter’s birthday. I opened my email to find “Nazi bitch” emails, etc. Twitter notifications of same variety. I was confused and angry.
We (TNP) were being crucified, then I was being personally crucified. Called a sexist and racist in a series of tweets, many now deleted. Others like the one just plain false. PTSD? Immigrants? Treated badly? So many likes and shares and public shames of me as a person.
The messages to me were about my white privilege, my supporting of the patriarchy, my aiding of racist institutions. A few assertions I was a “Karen” a “Nazi” (?!). My inbox was full and the prank calls came in. I turned off my phone, no pictures for my kid’s birthday that eve.
Every twenty minutes for two hours I was sent messages like these from the primary source: I have no humanity?
Again. This is because we didn’t reschedule her right away. Our schedules filming-wise are unknown. This happens in the world. It& #39;s not racist or sexist or unkind. It& #39;s been a shit year with a lot to juggle. Period.
I defended myself in one tweet. I said it was bullying behavior and her response was off the rails. It further inflamed hundreds. I realized that when you’re a white woman, you don’t get to defend yourself. You have to take it otherwise get labeled “privileged” (ask me about that
But here is the question. As non-minority people who do the right thing for other people at all opportunities: how do we defend ourselves if it can be easily countered with “white bitch, you are privileged and therefore cannot speak.”
I’ll get hate mail for sure this time, but at least it’s because of something I did/said. Think about these things. How to handle? Learn from it, consider it by putting yourself in my place. Accused of the worst traits by someone with vast credentials and zero basis.
Colleagues of hers all say this is par for the course. That may be so, but the damage is real. In a mediated message she asked me to apologize for being an ignorant white person, basically. I can’t and I won’t. So let the shitstorm rain down.
