Tracey Spicer’s Six Steps from Outrage Go to Outrage No
Step one: Via social media, outraged feminist Tracy Spicer calls for victims of sexual assault to contact her and expose their attackers.
Step one: Via social media, outraged feminist Tracy Spicer calls for victims of sexual assault to contact her and expose their attackers.
Step two: Spicer receives thousands of responses and launches NOW Australia, which commences with a national workshop tour teaching women “the skills, tools, and confidence to be an outspoken woman”. For $139 each.
Step three: Everything goes wrong.
Step four: The names of alleged rape victims who contacted Spicer and the names of their alleged attackers are revealed in an ABC media preview of a documentary starring Spicer.
Step five: Spicer is criticised on social media.
Step six: Spicer – now describing herself as a mere “participant” in the documentary – calls for an end to social media outrage:
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Spicer said: “To those who trusted me … I am truly sorry.”
Spicer also acknowledged her response to some of the thousands of women who got in touch with her with their experiences of sexual violence was “wholly inadequate”. Many people never received a reply.
She appealed for the end of “social media shoutrage” so people could work together on issues surrounding sexual violence.
Tracey Spicer will today receive her Sydney Peace Prize.