When Words Are Weaponised

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 Malaysia’s schools are facing a stark and disturbing crisis. Reported bullying cases surged from 3,887 in 2022 to 7,681 in 2024, which is a nearly 100 percent increase in two years.
Among these numbers are horrifying incidents; a 14-year-old boy stabbing a 16-year-old schoolmate in Selangor, and a 15-year-old girl being gang-raped in Malacca, with the assault recorded and circulated online.
The alarming increase in school violence has started an important conversation among parents, educators and the public. These incidents are not isolated, and they signal a wave of violence increasingly rooted in gendered online discourse.
Yet, one dimension that has yet to be articulated is the linguistic and discursive roots of this phenomenon. Language that circulates in online spaces, including misogynistic content, plays a critical role in shaping attitudes and behaviours that manifest in physical and verbal aggression within schools.
Research shows a link between exposure to misogynistic content online and aggressive behaviours among youth. A 2025 study of 200 teachers indicates that 76 percent of secondary and 60 percent of primary school educators in the UK expressed concern over the spread of online misogyny in schools.
These teachers disclosed that male students often mimic online influencers, making sexist remarks or behaving violently towards peers and school staff. Online platforms could become fertile grounds for gendered hate speech and extremist views towards women.
Linguistics professor Deborah Cameron warns that social media is fuelling a new wave of misogyny as it perpetuates dehumanising language and normalises aggression against women and girls.
Misogynistic views
It goes without saying that constant and repeated exposure to misogynistic discourse harms women and girls. In online echo chambers, misogynistic rhetoric is reproduced through memes, comments and posts that normalise derogatory language towards women and girls, framing them as inferior and hypersexualised.
These social media interactions amplify harmful ideologies that legitimise all forms of aggression towards women.
Schools are institutions of values and spaces for shaping future citizens. When students internalise misogynistic views, they reproduce them in peer interactions. This can manifest in forms of verbal harassment, bullying and devastatingly, physical violence.
Research shows that language is not neutral and can be deployed as a tool of dominance. When boys are socialised into asserting dominance through sexist jokes or slurs, these linguistic acts become precursors to physical acts of aggression.
Moreover, the normalisation of violence against women and girls can be found in phrases that seem innocent. “Boys will be boys”. “She asked for it”. “Who asked her to dress that way?”. These phrases allow an environment where accountability is diluted.
We shift the blame away from the perpetrators and aggressors. We blame the victims. What we are doing through these simple phrases is perpetuating a cycle of harm.
Words matter
Punitive measures have resurfaced as a suggested solution to address school violence. However, addressing school violence demands us as a society to confront the uncomfortable reality that the language we speak contributes to sustaining gendered hierarchies and harm towards women and girls.
Our youth must be taught to recognise harmful discourses so they know when to challenge them. If we want safer schools, we must begin by questioning the words that shape our world. We must question potentially harmful content that is fed to our children by algorithms.
This conversation is especially urgent during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from Nov 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to Dec 10. Violence against women in all forms is preventable.
The words we use and consume matter. In December 2025, the Oxford English Dictionary named “rage bait” as the Word of the Year.
Defined as “Online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media account”, this concept speaks directly to the culture that fuels online misogyny.
Social media algorithms that amplify “rage bait” content, including sexist memes, normalise aggression and hatred towards women. Hostile, dehumanising language that is used online can translate into real-world harm.
As Parliament advances the Anti-Bullying Bill 2025, let us ensure it champions education that supports gender equity. When language becomes a focal point in reform efforts, we can uproot harmful misogynistic narratives that incubate violence against women and girls.
Schools, parents and communities must work together to challenge harmful language, educate young people about respect and equality and advocate for policies that protect women and girls. We need to build a culture where every child feels safe and valued; change starts with us. - Mkini
The author, Nik Nur Ainin Soffiya Nik Mat is a senior lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, and may be reached at niksoffiyaum.edu.my.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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