Long time friend of Blokes Advice, controversial feminist Clementine Ford is no stranger to stirring up social media storms, but her recent actions have now landed her in legal hot water. Ford has been sued by Jane Agirtan, a former independent candidate for Victoria's Mornington District, following a series of abrasive comments on social media that labelled Agirtan a racist and a bigot.
The lawsuit demands a whopping $700,000 in damages, highlighting the serious implications of Ford's accusatory style on individuals' reputations and mental health.
This legal battle echoes Ford's previous engagements with Blokes Advice, where she has consistently taken a similar approach. Over the years, Ford has targeted the group and its nearly one million members, often cherry-picking comments to fuel her narrative against what she perceives as toxic masculinity.
“If you’ve heard of that group “Blokes Advice”, you’ll know it’s home to a bunch of sad losers who hate women.” ~ Clementine on Facebook last year.
News flash Clem, with nearly 300 000 members in the group we are Australia’s fathers, husbands & brothers who do anything and everything for the women in our lives. A lot of blokes don't like YOU, thats not misogyny.
This method of attack has not only strained the conversation on gender and societal roles but also escalated to personal attacks, with Ford encouraging her followers to harass individual members by contacting their employers and family members. Many blokes were throwing some banter, while others admittedly might have crossed a line - but that’s no reason to paint all men with the same brush.
The current case with Agirtan unfolded after she posted a story on Instagram, which Ford then used to brand her as a racist. The social battle kicked off with Ford intensifying her rhetoric and even mocking Agirtan's pleas for restraint. Similar to her history with Blokes Advice, Ford’s aggressive tactics included belittling her adversary’s calls for legal and social media intervention, reflecting a pattern of behavior that often dismisses the rights of those she opposes.
It seems an old dog doesn’t learn new tricks, as she herself said that she had been knocked back by television producers for being ‘too aggressive’ just a few years back. Even suicide prevention charity, Lifeline, cancelled a domestic violence forum where she was a speaker after a petition of over 15 000 people alleged that her bullying tactics were harmful to the needs of the very people the charity was funded to protect.
This isn't just an online back and forth; the stakes are a little high. Just like us, Agirtan reported receiving severe backlash, including graphic death threats and widespread vilification, directly spurred by Ford’s remarks and army of followers. This mirrors the experiences of many members of Blokes Advice, who have found themselves ostracised or threatened due to Ford's sweeping generalisations and public shaming tactics.
Ford's current legal trouble signifies something we’ve been harping on about over the The Better Bloke Project - accountability. It raises important questions about the limits of free speech in the digital age, especially when you have a career build on the back out outrage culture. Disagreement doesn’t call personal destruction, lets chat about it.
We took her attacks on the chin, but have to admit it’s nice to see someone holding her accountable. We’re not lawyers, but are watching as this legal drama unfolds.
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