Donald Trump Is Giving America Permission To Hate Women

When misogyny is amplified at the highest levels of our political system, it becomes legitimized.

In the wake of Donald Trump's announcement that he would not participate in the Jan. 28 GOP debate because Megyn Kelly is moderating, Kelly has been subjected to a barrage of misogynistic abuse online.

It's disgusting and depressing, but not at all surprising, for two reasons: Because many people (read: trolls) feel empowered to talk to women online in a degrading, abusive way, and because Trump's campaign is built on misogyny. Trump has trolled Kelly since August, and now his supporters are following his lead. 

Here's a typical tweet:

mike micliz @MMicliz
@megynkelly Trump isn't afraid of you, he's DISGUSTED by you.  There's a difference, you unprofessional c***.

A Vocativ analysis of 80,000 tweets directed at Kelly's Twitter handle over 24 hours found that the insults thrown her way were completely gendered. She was called a "bitch," a "dumb blonde," a "whore," a "bimbo," a "skank," a "hooker" and a "c***."

It's hard to imagine a man receiving such personal, sexually charged ire. These words are reserved only for women.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/megyn-kelly-donald-trump-misogyny_us_56aa4143e4b05e4e37037cb5?bb70t3xr