The return to school this September has been somber in tone, noticeably marked by increased security guards pacing the halls and monitoring the entrances to classrooms.By now, most UofT students are aware of the violent threats made against the school on a blogTO comment thread at the beginning of this month. If you’re not fully aware of the nature of those comments, you can’t really be blamed, because the school’s Vice-President and Provost didn’t seem to think you needed to be.
In her email addressed to the staff and student body, Professor Cheryl Regehr informed students of “an investigation into anonymous threats made on a public blog against the University of Toronto. We take these threats very seriously and want to ensure that we have a safe campus community.” While Professor Regehr’s assurance of student and staff safety and her implementation of protective measures is appreciated, it is troubling that, in her mind, the direct and graphic nature of the comments is secondary information that the population of UofT need not worry about.
It is, in fact, important information that the anonymous user was operating under the username “Kill Feminists,” and it is important that the violent threats were directed at feminists and Women’s Studies and Sociology students and professors. While individual professors and groups such as CUPE 3902 later followed up Regehr’s general comments with more specific information about the commenter’s targets, it remains worrisome that diagnosing misogyny for what it is at face value is not a priority to the topmost authorities at our school.
However misguided or inauthentic the person behind the blogTO comments may be, the fact remains that, in their mind, a link exists between the ideology of feminism and extreme violence. Considering Canada’s history of violence against women in academia, it’s a given that this kind of thought process is conditioned, not instinctive. The school’s failure to diagnose the online commenter’s comments as what they are—misogyny and hate-based rhetoric—shows a failure to educate. If we want these kinds of comments to go away, and to take the necessary steps to make UofT into a safe space, our educators need to start seeing these things for what they are and use dark moments such as this one to teach that this kind of sexism is unacceptable.
Students and staff alike have experienced a wide range of reactions in the aftermath of the threats. Those in Women and Gender Studies likely went to class feeling tenser than others, and those who have personal experience with similar violence and threats likely also had a difficult first week.
Yet overall, the student body has responded admirably and bravely to the situation. The conversations it has sparked show significant maturity and intellect of the kind an institution of higher learning can be proud of. Students have used social media and personal connections to get the word around and to react adequately and realistically to initial comments, despite the failure of Professor Regehr’s email to inform us of their true nature.
While the memory of this moment fades, hopefully the conversations it sparked continued. If this can stand as a wake-up call for many with regards to the reality of sexism in academia and our city’s culture, let it stand as that. Let’s be thankful that it can be used as a teachable moment without actualized violent consequences.
