The Government on the Isle of Man has been criticised for ‘sexism’ and ‘misogyny’ after an ill-judged post about Storm Eunice.
The island’s Department of Infrastructure posted on Facebook on Thursday night warning of a potential road closure near Peel Beach, on the west coast.
The post read: ‘A road closure is in place for Peel Promenade 10am Friday, February 18, 2022.
‘Due to a change in the wind direction this closure will not go ahead unless required.
‘Thank you for your patience and understanding, but like most women Eunice changes her mind what she’s doing.’
The post was met with backlash from residents and the Government has since admitted the message ‘fell below the standards expected’ and said it would ‘not happen again’.
Many social media users hit back at the comment, saying it was an ‘outdated’ view and was an example of a ‘microaggression’ against women.
School librarian Helen Jessopp claimed the post was ‘beyond a joke’ and an example of ‘everyday sexism’.
Helen, from Port Erin on Isle of Man, said: ‘I thought it was a bit outdated and close to the wire for a Government department to post something that could be considered quite inflammatory in this day and age.
‘This is an example of everyday sexism. It’s the sort of microaggression that needs to be called out.
‘It’s so normalised and a lot of people don’t realise that it’s offensive and outdated.
‘It comes across as it being just a bit of banter or a joke, but when it’s constant and it comes from a Government department, that goes beyond a joke and a bit of banter.
‘It’s the small things that add up.’
So to ‘banter back’, Helen made a ‘sweeping’ and inflammatory statement mocking the initial post.
She replied: ‘Weird how it’s not named after a man then, seeing as like most men it’s going to get violent and unpredictably damage property and maybe people haha.’
‘The post very quickly got deleted almost immediately after I posted that,’ she said.
‘The fact it was taken down so quickly and the writing style of it made me think it might have been someone who isn’t normally in charge of social media.
‘They might have thought it was an off-the-cuff, flippant comment and not really thinking it through.
‘I think it was probably someone who doesn’t have those comments aimed at them and realise it’s not just a stand alone thing, but one of many that people can encounter in a short period of time from different places.’
A spokesperson for the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure said: ‘The Department of Infrastructure is aware of a message posted on its Facebook page this morning, and subsequently amended, which fell below the standards expected of our organisation.
‘Measures are being taken to ensure this does not happen again.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Share this with