Labour's Bridget Phillipson, the United Kingdom's women and equalities minister, has stated that racism and sexism have become 'normal' in Britain, attributing a significant role to social media in this trend. She described online platforms as a 'cesspit' that allows for the normalization and amplification of harmful views.
Phillipson expressed profound concern regarding the rise of misogyny across society, particularly worrying about the impact on young women and girls. She also voiced anxieties about young men being influenced by online content that suggests their personal problems are linked to women. "I worry about our daughters. I worry about the kind of world that they're growing up into," Phillipson said.
Speaking on The Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast, Phillipson highlighted an 'industry' built on exploiting grievance, which encourages young men to believe that societal ills or their own struggles are somehow caused by women. She believes the country is at 'ground zero' in terms of attitudes surrounding violence against women and girls, noting that behaviors once considered unacceptable are now becoming commonplace.
"Things that not very long ago felt totally unacceptable are becoming normal. And I think we're seeing that in terms of attitudes towards women, and I think we see that in terms of attitudes around racism," she stated. "And what unites them is a desire to take our country backwards."
Phillipson elaborated on how social media enables individuals to connect with others who not only share but also reinforce extreme views, leading to a normalization of perspectives that might not be voiced in polite conversation. This online environment, she suggested, allows such attitudes to seep into the real world.
Phillipson also pointed to specific instances involving politicians, accusing Tory shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy and Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick of making remarks she considers racist. Timothy faced criticism for describing a public prayer event as an 'act of domination and division,' while Jenrick reportedly commented on not seeing 'another white face' during a visit to an area of Birmingham. Phillipson asserted that such statements are 'fundamentally racist' and indicative of a desire to regress societal attitudes.