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The deeper into feminism I go, the more I am silenced.
I recognise patterns, intentions, and behavioural changes. I see how much unnecessary hardship we face as a society because of inequality.
The New Way To Silence Us
Recently, the internet has adopted a fantastic new term: “rage bait.” A new way to silence us. A new way to punish the reaction instead of the action.
“Rage bait is a new way to punish the reaction instead of the action.”
In a nutshell, “rage bait” is content created to provoke outrage for clicks, views, comments and most importantly, money. It is the same old tactic dressed up in a new language. Once upon a time people would say “take a joke” or “it was just a joke” when called out for something offensive. Now they say, “oh, that was just rage bait, and you fell for it.”
This phrase shuts us up. It gives misogynistic, bigoted, and abusive content a free pass. If you speak up against it, you’re told you are stupid for “falling for it.” If you don’t, the content spreads unchallenged. Either way, the creator wins.
Abuse As Entertainment
By normalising this, we step into a world where harassment and bullying are just entertainment. Where racism is comedy. Where misogyny is amusing. Where “joking” about crime, exploitation, and abuse is treated as clever.
“Harassment and bullying are no longer shocking. They’re entertainment.”
The common argument – “it’s just online” – is bullshit, and we should all know this by now.
Online Is The Real World
Our lives are too deeply embedded in the digital dimension to separate the two. How often do you leave the house without your phone? How often do you reach for it? What’s your screen time? How often do you go to school, work, university, or even to bed without consuming digital media? The answer is almost never.
It is naive to act as if there is a “real world” and an “online world.” There is only one world now. Our phones are with us constantly, shaping who we are and how we interact. The internet so clearly builds our social circles, our worldview, our empathy, and even our vanity. The excuse of “rage bait” conditions us to be dismissive, selfish, and cruel – not just online, but in our everyday lives.
“It is naive to act as if there is a real world and an online world. There is only one world now.”
The Money Machine
Creators such as Pearl, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk and countless male podcasters know exactly what they are doing. They lure audiences with extreme takes. Some people learn to agree with them, others jump in to argue, but either way, the creator profits.
Even platforms like Jubilee use this strategy. Their debates are marketed as intellectual, but what they are really doing is platforming anti-intellectuals for entertainment. And because debates are often perceived as academic, this deceives people into thinking these extremists are legitimate thought leaders.
The Danger
Rage bait is never about genuine conversation. It is not dialogue. It is an industry built on monetising negative responses. Every time women say “we don’t claim her” or men say “not all men,” rage bait creators get richer.
It is not harmless, it is not “just online.” It is shaping people’s empathy, fuelling division, and silencing real feminist voices.
Cate Danielle
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