A book that puts fingers in the wounds. Hurts and makes sense. Linus Volkmann spoke with Veronika Kracher about “Bitch Hunt” in his column.
Veronika Kracher lives in Berlin, she is a journalist, author (“Incels”), millennial and has just published one of the most discussed non-fiction books of the spring with Verbrecher Verlag. “Bitch Hunt – why we love to hate women” is primarily about digital campaigns against women. Digital campaigns that specifically reach into the analogue worlds of those affected.
We are all aware of where the breeding ground for this comes from. The Epstein Files, the Pelicot case and most recently Fernandes vs. Ulmen – the topic of patriarchal violence is not a scary niche, on the contrary. It permeates, influences and rather determines the entire everyday life. Even the colorful pop scene is not exempt from this. How could he?
I take this as an opportunity to let Veronika Kracher have her say in this column. This should provide a constructive contribution to the prevailing and equally poisoned “discourse”.
“Feeling feminist just because you listen to Ikkimel while jogging isn’t enough” – A conversation with Veronika Kracher
Very simple first question, how are you today?
VERONIKA KRACHER: I am of course happy that the first edition of “Bitch Hunt” is sold out after such a short time. Nevertheless, my everyday life often feels like the title of the current Thomas Pynchon film adaptation, which is amusing but really doesn’t deserve the Oscar for best film: It is one battle after anotherif you are a left-wing author who takes a position against anti-Semitism – and is repeatedly confronted with defamation on social media.
That sounds very uncomfortable. From the outside, however, I have the impression that things are going really well for you. The first edition sold within a month and at the book fair in Leipzig you sat on various podiums, had a number of readings, and there was also a lot of attention for “Bitch Hunt”. Tell us something about this book. How did this come about?
I have been working on the topic of digital misogyny for over ten years now. For the specific book, the trigger was the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. This leads back to 2022, when this dispute was broadcast in the form of a public spectacle and show trial. This took place in Fairfax, Virginia and was accompanied by a merciless, misogynistic smear campaign. At the time, I was horrified to see the enthusiasm with which much of the world turned to a woman who was ultimately a victim of domestic violence. She was supposed to be portrayed as a liar and perpetrator by Johnny Depp’s lawyers – and that fell on extremely fertile ground. An armada of men’s rights activists, Johnny Depp fans and spineless influencers who just want to make a profit from generic misogyny got involved. There were also many followers who finally no longer had to hide their misogynistic resentments. In my opinion, this process has perpetuated rape culture myths and also set the debate about domestic violence back years. The whole thing can also be read as a backlash against the MeToo movement. It’s about punishing all people who defend themselves against this patriarchal violence – and not just the victims themselves. All of this should also serve as a warning to others not to lean too far out of the window.
Shelby Lynn comes to mind – and what a storm of steel followed after she described her experiences at the Rammstein concert.
Yes, we live in a time that constantly spits out news of systematic, patriarchal violence. Be it Pelicot, rapist networks on Telegram, the Epstein Files… Of course, these major cases only represent the peaks in the everyday occurrence of gender-based violence.
Recently, the Collien Fernandes case has made the topic very emotional again. How did you see that?
The figures on violence against women have been rising continuously for years – and the fact that these topics are then talked about, and need to be talked about, is always accompanied by a blatant backlash. Collien Fernandes and Christian Ulmen used the same playbook again. As with Amber Heard, the main aim is to deny the woman’s credibility. As a result, she is defamed – she is even threatened by part of the public because she dared to talk about the fact that her partner – a famous man – could be a perpetrator. In order to clear a suspected perpetrator, the person concerned must be portrayed as a liar. There is one main reason why so many men take part in this: they think, ‘If a man like Christian Ulmen could be a perpetrator, then I could be one too’ – and that’s something that men generally don’t want to deal with.
The problem is defensive reflexes?
Yes, and the way victims of gender-based violence are treated in our society shows clearly that shame has not yet changed sides. There is still a stigma around being affected. In prominent cases like the Epstein Files, you can also see that a desire for voyeurism and the true crime factor outweighs a sensitive approach to the actual subject matter – namely systematic sexual violence against women and children.
We’re speaking for a music magazine here, so I’m interested in your assessment of the state of the current pop scene. A large number of current mega stars are female: Taylor Swift, Rosalia Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish…
… I would also include someone like Kim Petras. Kim, as a trans person, is now making such a wave in pop music, that’s just really fucking cool. Wendy Carlos would be proud of her!
So you would speak for the emancipatory power of pop?
I would rather say that pop culture is always something ambivalent. We have to keep in mind here that it is very much about the marketability of acts – and especially for female artists, marketability is linked to a performance of femininity and creates strong objectification. What strikes me in pop is how much you’re dealing with double standards. In my opinion, the consideration of female or non-binary artists differs significantly from that of male artists. A good current example is the treatment of the lesbian musician Chappell Roan. Recently, a Brazilian soccer player was alleged to have sent her security guard after his child at a hotel because he was disturbing her during breakfast. This was immediately believed, adopted and spread by a digital mob. It played a role that she is not just a woman, but a lesbian who has always dared to set boundaries. This is still a no-go for a woman in public today. When it turned out that the story did not happen in the form claimed, the PR damage was of course already done. This is something I also discuss in my book, how much sadistic joy is involved when going against women at a certain level of success. Here, every alleged misstep is dissected under the microscope. This is something that is not the case with male artists. As a woman you can be canceled for not smiling enough and as a man you are still on stages even if you have songs glorifying Hitler or there are allegations of rape against you. This is a double standard that crops up again and again in patriarchal capitalism.
Editorial recommendations
How do you feel about current female acts that aggressively address physicality and sexuality?
I think this is a cool development. Female self-determined desire that still dares to be polemical. Ikkimel and all the cunt rap are stirring up a lot of dust. Even though as a Millennial I have to realize that I sometimes feel too old here. Nevertheless, for many very young women and queers, this represents a contemporary form of empowerment. But it should also be added here that it is important not to leave this empowerment in mere consumption. Feeling somehow feminist just because you listen to Ikkimel while jogging isn’t enough. This should then be translated into concrete feminist practice.
Veronika, thank you for the conversation.
Veronika Kracher’s next event dates:
- April 19th Dresden, König Kurt bookstore
- April 21st Mainz, DGB House
- April 28th Vienna (lecture “It’s just not boys’ fun – On gender relations in the radical left”)
- April 30th Tübingen University
- 20.05. Frankfurt/Main, Café KoZ
- May 28th Jena, Jena-Süd bookstore
What happened so far? Here is an overview of all the pop column texts.
