Ann Althouse has a good post up tying together a few themes from the notion of women bloggers and editors being viewed in a harsher light if they are negative or go on the attack against someone's views online (ala Maureen Dowd).
This post is really more about how women are more harshly punished if they go on the attack, which is what Maureen Dowd wrote about. It's not just that we (generally) feel worse when we are attacked, but that we are (generally) more likely to be perceived in a negative light if we do attack.
I would agree with that wholeheartedly. I don't agree with Ann's later comments regarding her need to turn off the commenting section on her blog due to some harsh personal attacks she received. (1) They can be deleted. (2) Whenever I read vitriolic comments on a blog - anyone's blog, I always think they reflect badly on the commenter - not the blogger. I took John Hinderaker of Powerline on in an e-mail conversation two weeks ago over a VERY negative comment he left on a liberal blog that I thought really went too far and was quite hypocritical of him. He got enough flak for it from me and others that he publicly apologized for it, and should have. It shouldn't be a source of pride to be rude, crude, uncivil, or insensitive in a public forum. People do not generally behave this way in person - but the anonymity of the internet seems to provide a forum for bullies which I will neither tolerate or promote. If that makes me the Doris Day of the blogosphere, so be it. But I would never write anything I wouldn't feel comfortable saying in a public forum.
UPDATE: Vodkapundit has a related post on this topic featuring Glenn Reynold's comments on White Guys as top bloggers and the gender dynamics related to this. The post is actually by La Shawn Barber who is guest blogging for Vodkapundit. She is a Christian neo-con blogger whom I don't normally read, but in this instance, I appreciate her viewpoint and the links that she provides.
UPDATE 2: I realize that I focused on the politeness issue almost exclusively here, but Chris Nolan has an excellent and accurate Top 10 list of why there are not more female bloggers. Well said.
