Silencing refers to techniques used to shut women up when they complain about sexism or other problems. It encompasses harassment or intimidation that discourages women from speaking out, shaming and humiliation targeted at women who do speak up, and techniques used to dismiss or deny the legitimacy of womens' speech.

Silencing tactics are fairly simple. They are methods used to quash dissent. To dismiss or disable the voices of dissent against the privilege[-]induced majority speak. They can include trolling someone, threatening someone, making offensive jokes, using slurs, acting violent or intimidating, demanding or even criticizing anger from a marginalized person, demanding that a marginalized person change their methods for addressing privilege and a host of other things that are design[ed] to control the means of communication and discourse. -- RP, How to be An Ally

Examples

Challenges

Falsely helpful responses

All of these responses silence complaints of sexism by centering the feelings of the listener, rather than the woman who is complaining of sexism.

Related to communication techniques

Related to focus of activism

Ally Specific Silencing techniques:

See also

Further reading

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