Response to Feminist Phone Intervention

This article centers on the creation and outcome of the Feminist Phone Intervention. The creator and her friend set this up in June 2014. It is a phone number that you can give to someone that asks for your number so that you don’t need to give them your real one. When that person calls the number, they will get a response quotation from feminist write bell hooks. The creator hoped that this technology would allow women to block harassment from strangers. Because women are still threatened when they reject advances, this allows them to satisfy the harasser without giving out their real phone number. And the men are educated by the different quotations.

The audience that this piece is trying to reach is mainly for women of all ages and races. They are trying to raise awareness for this technology and how it can help them in an uncomfortable situation that they might not have known how to handle. It mainly tries to show how the Feminist Phone Intervention has helped women face harassment and how it contributed to feminism.

The main idea is that harassment and sexism are real issues and by creating this technology for women, it could save lives and raise awareness. This phone line will help women being harassed and educate men on feminism. By bringing all women together on this, it will create comradeship among them, which has been the goal all along.

I think the goal the creator was trying to achieve by this was to educate women on how they can better protect themselves and to let the world know that solidarity can be achieved. Also to achieve a sense of solidarity among all women, especially because of problems of race within feminism. By mentioning Hollaback’s video and how harassment is radicalized, it reinforces how women need to come together despite race issues for a common goal. Race influences harassment, but it is important to note that harassment does occur in many forms, and it needs to be noticed.

I really enjoyed this piece. As a woman, it is reassuring to know that there is such a technology out there to help protect us. I had no idea of this before, and it is definitely something I will use if I am ever put into that type of situation. I appreciated how the author wanted to get the technology out there to different countries and how it had to be adaptable to their cultures. I have been in a situation similar before, but luckily I made up an excuse and walked away quickly. If I was ever asked for my number, I would be afraid of the repercussions for not giving it away. This technology is definitely useful and brings to light all of the issues that our society has largely put under wraps. It is also interesting how she stays anonymous as a feminist tactic to make sure the problem as a whole is being addressed. This was a great article and I learned a lot from it.

The only question I would have for the creator is if she thinks that men will actually listen to the quotes, or just be more angered by them. Yes, the technology does great things in terms of feminism and combating harassment, but will it actually bring about change in men?

 

One thought on “Response to Feminist Phone Intervention”

  1. I’m glad you enjoyed the article and found the phone line useful – I hope that you will share it with others who might also benefit!

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