Phew, it was a struggle to get through some of those links! So much rage. I also noticed that Jen McCreight has recently been forced to go on indefinite hiatus as a result of relentless (often misogynistic) online abuse. So it's good news all round.

I too, often find myself searching around for some kind of sane, rational, inclusive, non-toxic group, with some solid outlines and sense of purpose and social activism (as you described), and would definitely be signing up to such a movement if it was available. Will definitely check out this A+ thing!

Furthermore, regarding the generally disturbing levels of said toxicity in anonymous online communities (I often find myself quite shaken by the sheer volume and popularity of it).... What do you think are the causes of this? Is it just a permanent part of the human condition which is exponentially more visible since the invention of online forums? Or do you think factors such as modern education/media/parenting/society etc. have had some sort of negative effect?

Perhaps it is just a result of some sort of compartmentalism and willful blindness caused by the anonymous/remote nature of online communication which dampens natural human empathy and rationality – some people seem to have the capacity to get 'whipped up into a frenzy' of... amoral post-irony, and separate themselves from the morals they hold to in the off-line world (I think perhaps that a lot of people who make rape jokes about a 15-year-old girl on the internet would feel uncomfortable making the same jokes when confronted by a 15-year-old girl in real life, let alone actually consider enacting the rape they threaten). And if this is the case, I feel like the internet community at large needs to take a look at itself as time goes on, and step up its levels of awareness and self-regulation – I see so many incidences like the closure of BlagHag where interesting, genuine voices are being stifled by idle and extremely unwarranted abuse..

Anyway, thanks for the inspiring blog post!