When journalist and Daily Beast staff writer Olivia Nuzzi shared an article on her professional Facebook on Labor Day, she expected to receive some backlash because the article was about Donald Trump. Because the article was contentious, and because, according to Nuzzi, her “Facebook page is a cesspool of trolls and similar lifeforms who respond to everything [she] say[s] with vitriol.” However, nothing prepared Nuzzi for the response she received.

Nuzzi was floored when Republican Mike Krawitz allegedly told the journalist she should be raped.

Fuck. You. Olivia, I. Hope. Somebody. Rapes. You. Today. 🙂

And:

Hope. You. Get. Raped. By. A. Syrian. Refugee. 🙂

Of course, this seems like a completely reasonable (see: totally unreasonable and borderline batshit crazy) thing to say to someone who holds a different opinion, but when our parents told us, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” they only meant we had to be nice to those we agreed with, right? Right?!

(Sigh.)

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Nuzzi has been personally attacked for her writing and/or sharing the writing of her peers. In a stunning response piece on The Daily Beast, Nuzzi explained that, as a writer, “hate mail” is par for the course:

In my two-plus years at The Daily Beast…[s]upporters of Rand Paul called me a “bimbo troll,” while defenders of a white supremacist running for office labeled me a “plastic surgery addict” and “probable jewess.”

Nor is it the first time Krawitz attacked Nuzzi:

In response to my story about the impending collapse of the Trump Taj Mahal, [Krawitz] wrote: “I. Invite. Olivia. To. Contact. Me. So. I. Can. Show. You. Around. The. Taj. Mahal. I’ll. Pay. For. Everything. Mike.” He left his phone number. A year later, he was still at it. “Stupid Olivia. go back up Obamas. Ass. :)”…[a]nd on Aug. 10, 2016, he said, “How’s. The. Gun. Crime. In. Democrat. Chicago. Olivia. You. Ugly. Stupid. Cunt. :)”

(So. Damn. Sweet.)

But the problem isn’t just Krawitz’s words — or the fact that these words promote gender dominance by instilling fear, by perpetuating “rape culture.” The problem is that, behind a keyboard, many feel they can say whatever they want without implications or repercussions. The problem is that this language — this type of hateful, discriminatory, and misogynistic rhetoric — is commonplace in our culture.

The problem is that bullying has been rebranded.

Of course, some argue that we, as a culture, have become too emotional, too sensitive, and too P.C. However, as a writer, a woman, and a mother myself — a mother who has been on the receiving end of vitriol like this, who has been told by internet commenters her daughter should be taken away — I can say this form of harassment is disgusting. It is appalling. And it is horrific.

It is completely unacceptable.

I wouldn’t want my mother spoken to in this manner. I wouldn’t want my friends, cousins, or aunts attacked in this manner, and God help someone if they harassed my daughter this way. Lord have mercy on the poor soul who would be ignorant enough to address my daughter in this fashion, especially while at work. Especially while she was doing her g*ddamn job.

It should be noted that Krawitz has denied writing the post. In fact, in an interview with Philly.com, Krawitz not only rejected the notion that he was involved, but also Krawitz suggested his opponents may have hacked his account:

Could be anybody in this township or the Democratic party.  When you’re running for township committee in Jersey, these people do anything to try to smear you.

However, regardless who was responsible, Krawitz withdrew his candidacy for West Deptford township committee just a few hours later.