Editor: all that follows is a backed up post. Seems like it could be useful in a lot of settings, as well as when dealing with the terroristic Fox News Nazis.
ok, I wrote up a guide to what to do if you're targeted by the right-wing smear machine. (remember that your relative importance doesn't matter AT ALL; they love crushing the defenseless even more.) https://mobile.twitter.com/chick_in_kiev/status/1116499716911652864
What to do if you find yourself targeted online:
- Lock down your social media accounts for 24-48 hours (the approximate period of a shitstorm)- ALL OF THEM, not just Twitter.
- Check out http://crashoverridenetwork.com for a comprehensive guide to digital safety.
- If you're getting death threads, use a service like http://abine.com/deleteme or privacyduck to wipe info from people-finding websites like whitepages and spokeo.
- Try to log off if you can. Get a trusted friend to read through your mentions and emails for death threads and doxxes that require response.
- Remember you did nothing wrong. It's normal to feel bad when you're getting a flood of opprobrium, but that doesn't mean you erred. You are not a terrible person, you're just an unlucky one.
- Remember this will pass (although it may recur, but you will be more prepared).
- Be with humans. Drink water. Breathe.
- Don't make dramatic gestures like quitting as that adds a new story and prolongs the cycle (retrospective wisdom).
- Avoid giving interviews or appearing on shows. Never go on Fox, it's hostile territory and more surface area for potshots.
- Don't expect solidarirty from employers or peers, as you likely won't receieve it. Instead, reach out to trusted friends and loved ones for support.
- You are going to survive this. Lots of us have. It blows, though.