But I don't want to sit around in the politeness ghetto all the time. Hanging out with nasty-ass bigoted male teenagers is also good, if I can learn from them. Particularly if I can turn somebody around with my expressed deviant opinion. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words on a screen get at me only as much as I allow them to. We accuse the patriarchy of constructing the spaces and language we use and occupy.
Love laughs at locksmiths.
So we'll talk about what we love to the people who can hear us - and if people keep on bullying us, after a while we'll find another trysting spot and leave the cops to themselves. We always have to drive the so-called infobahn defensively. Whether we're set upon by zealots or bigots or abusively correct politicos, we have to learn to defend ourselves. Use the enemy's strength against them harmlessly, but martial all your arts. Cyberspace is better than an acre of warm tapioca for a tussle.