About today’s harassment.

I was on television today. Here’s a response I received on Twitter.

“Laurie, I’ve just watched you interview Evan Williams of Twitter. You are a FINE looking bitch. I want to eat you, babe. Call me”

He didn’t leave his number. Just an unpleasant message following my segment on CNN International. Sure, I can try to have a sense of humor (thanks for the offer, @Singapore_Fraud, but I’m good). It’s also gross. Annoying. And unfortunately, it’s normal.

Hours later, I shot a live chat on Facebook with my colleague, Brian Stelter. The topic: Is Facebook suppressing conservative news? I thought we had an engaging conversation. Let me give you a taste of the responses we received in Facebook comments:

“……………can you TRUST a really cute looking couple on LIVE CNN CHAT who should be out on a HOT DATE at a fancy Italian restaurant in Santa Barbara!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Thank you, Steve Price. If anything, you are specific. And here’s one more, because we’re not yet at 6pm — a message sent to my Facebook inbox from a man named Mage Brown.

“I see it through ultrasound you will get a nice baby.” Smiley face emoji.

Mage, I am not pregnant, but thanks, you are the worst. I am genuinely disturbed.

I know I should ignore these messages. Perhaps I should filter my Twitter stream to only receive replies from verified users. As a journalist, I hate the idea of filtering my stream to only see tweets from people awarded blue check marks.

But today, I don’t feel like ignoring them. Today, I feel like saying to @Singapore_ Fraud, Steve Price, and Mage Brown — “seriously??”

Here’s the thing, I (and many female journalists) receive these types of messages every day. We see them. We ignore them. But why should we? We live in a world where we’re trained to ignore, filter. We are told that this is a part of the job or how the world works. It’s best to develop a thick skin. It’s best to be above it.

Today, I don’t feel any of those things. I’ve received harassing tweets for months. I’m grossed out by the anonymity of the web, the lack of empathy people feel behind the blanket of the Internet. I’m disheartened that people feel the freedom to speak at instead of to. Today, I don’t feel like “accepting” the harassment, and today isn’t a bad day at all. Actually, this is nothing compared to what other folks get and nothing compared to what I’ve seen in the past.

We have filters and mute buttons, but to change the need for them, we need to find a way to change the dialogue about harassment and what we “should” have to deal with.

Today, I’ll block these guys. But if you want to know the truth, I’m annoyed I even have to.