You should never read the comments.

And sometimes too many very poignant blog posts and articles in a row.  I've spent the last few hours perusing articles on harassment all around the internet, sometimes reading through the comments list, sometimes not and I'm feeling a big bundle o' emotions about it.

Articles about consent, workplace harassment, street harassment, rape, trolling, and general assholery and I'm feeling tired.  These problems are enormous, and not just enormous because they happen, because people are out there who genuinely want to ruin your day/life/work, and because there are people apologizing for it, defending it, and generally placing the blame everywhere.  The lack of consensus on all these issues, the 'isms', the pure and unadulterated evil of some/most/all of it.  I just feel tired, and sad, and unsafe.   Part of this stems from a bad interaction at work, the rest from shock at what people go through.  Because, you know, my own nasty experiences with street harassment and public shame didn't clue me in that some people suck.