Opinion writers shouldn’t let abuse stop them from sharing what they believe in

Dealing with unsolicited takedowns is hard. Dealing with abuse is even harder

When you’re lucky enough to have a platform to share your opinions on a regular basis, you’re bound to run into some criticism. Sometimes it’s valid: after writing a comment piece on the recent allegations of sexual assault against R Kelly, journalist Lorna Cooper rightfully pointed out that I’d used the term “child pornography” in my article as opposed to “images of child sex abuse”, a more fitting term which does a better job of calling attention to the magnitude of the alleged crime.

On other occasions, I’ve received comments that feel much closer to abuse than considered responses. A very kind man based in San Francisco took time out of his day to call me “fatso” via both my personal and work email addresses not too long ago, because he wasn’t too pleased that I, a self-proclaimed fat person, wasn’t so keen on the idea that fat people should be subjected to ridicule for being who they are.

Current, ex- and posing police officers have also flooded my direct mentions with alarmingly vitriolic messages (usually about “black on black crime”) when I’ve written about the keeping the cultural relic of Notting Hill Carnival alive.