racheltb
clintonville
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I dug up this thread because of the completely insensitive comments on a story that ran in Friday's dispatch about a friend of mine whose husband died. Bittersweet Help
Do you think anyone on the Dispatch staff reads the comments? I think it reflects poorly on the paper and the city to allow nonproductive hurtful comments from (often) non locals. I have to think people considering moving to Columbus are reading and thinking 'What a bunch of cow town idiots.'
JRemy
Columbus, OH
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racheltb wrote >>
I dug up this thread because of the completely insensitive comments on a story that ran in Friday's dispatch about a friend of mine whose husband died. Bittersweet Help
Do you think anyone on the Dispatch staff reads the comments? I think it reflects poorly on the paper and the city to allow nonproductive hurtful comments from (often) non locals. I have to think people considering moving to Columbus are reading and thinking 'What a bunch of cow town idiots.'
I think they do read the comments people make. Recently, a friend of mine from high school had a younger brother who died tragically and was in the news. Some of the cruelest, meanest things were said. People passing judgment on someone they did not know and a situation that they were not a part of. It angered me, and I sent a twitter to a local news reporter about it. There response, "It's a very sad story. Like you, I'm often amazed at how cruel and callous people can be. There is no explanation for it. :("
It truly is a sad state of affairs when some people say what they say. It gets me riled up when people start commenting about things such as the new Convention Center Hotel, the Columbus Commons, about how people complain how it is a waste of government tax dollars, there tax dollars. It's an investment I say so let it go. My fear is, politicians read these comments and think they are the opinions of the masses. I certainly hope not.
Matthew
Hilltop
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On the topix/dispatch forum, if you go to the bottom beneath the comment box and number verification code for sending posts, there is a blue link called "send us your feedback." Click that then select "report inappropriate post." This gets posts removed within a day, whereas flagging does nothing.
NikosFyodor
Victorian Village
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I've been pretty disgusted with many of the response comments that I see posted on various sites. Does the internet rob some people of their humanity? It's really easy for people to go way too far, and I have to wonder if they really believe in what they are typing? Or if the thrill of having "anonymity" gives free license to say abhorrent things that would normally be filtered out.
Every once and awhile I get tempted to start a new, anonymous account so that I can say what I "really think" sometimes. But what is the point of that really? Is it what you "really think" if you're afraid of what people's reactions would be? I suppose that's more of a sociological or psychological question.
If people suddenly lost their anonymity on the internet I don't think that you would see as many of these hateful and ignorant comments. Similar to the way that laws keep people in check, loss of anonymity might provoke more thought before posting. If there were repercussions, the internet might not be so vile.
MikeReed
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Not in any way to diminish the justifiable outrage of people affected by the comments... but do you suppose this is somehow not an accurate reflection of people and how they behave?
Given the anonymity of the Internet people say horrible, horrible things. Given the relative impersonality of driving by a cyclist and ease of get away people shout obscenities- or sometimes even worse. I've had people try to hit me. In a group behind closed doors there are people in our very own circles who will talk very poorly about others who are not there to defend themselves. Without Walker stepping in on a very regular basis to "keep it civil people" CU would devolve to insults and trash talk.
All seems right in line with an accurate reflection of how people behave and is in no way an anomaly.
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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this one is gonna be a zinger!!!
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/wbns/TQTGDOKD2MBT5DLT3
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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CDS sherman wrote >>
this one is gonna be a zinger!!!
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/wbns/TQTGDOKD2MBT5DLT3
If the first three comments are any indication, they'll have to shut down commenting on that one by noon.
I definitely believe people say things behind the internet wall that they'd never say to someone in person. So, of course, folks will expose their ignorance, considering they are ignorant of it.
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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i wish they would shut down threads on topix but they dont. they are not moderated either.
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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CDS sherman wrote >>
i wish they would shut down threads on topix but they dont. they are not moderated either.
I wonder about that... I noticed once on a thread there were some terribly inappropriate posts, and I tagged them as "Spam" with their little rating system... the next time I refreshed, they were gone. I don't have a clear understanding of how that works, but clearly there is SOME system.
I think if someone "stars" or rates a terrible post in some other positive fashion, no amount of Spams will kill it.
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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I know some site operators and online publishers that have done away with comments all together. I think that's extreme. In terms of steering the conversation, I don't have a problem with site owners removing comments.
There is no question there is a difference in tone and expression on sites and online discussions where the commenter's identity is known versus anonymous commenting. We see that on CU all the time.
The loud mouth anonymous chicken shits will rip people apart and then suddenly their remarks take a more civil turn when their identity is known. Go figure. People can be fucking cowards when they have to own what they say online just like in real life.
Not everyone uses Facebook, but many people do. I've noticed sites that use Facebook Connect exclusively for authentication tend to have more civil discussions.
The first thing the Dispatch should do to steer their comments in a more civil direction is dispose of that shitty Topix commenting system and consider some means of profile creation and linking those profiles to the individual's social profiles. That and they should have a better comment moderation system and better means of flagging hateful speech.
That whole Topix system is total garbage and actually encourages shitty discussion.
JenniferBrown
Columbus
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Okay, I think about this a great deal. Well, not newspaper article comments :) but rather bigoted behavior. Here I'm going to try and break down what I believe. Bear with me ...
Depending on the stats you read, in 2000 we had a high school graduation just above 60%. Nationwide college degree earners hovers around 30%. Now, I don't think education necessarily = lack of bias. So, let's explore that further.
In many instances (not all) students who do not graduate have several problems long before they ever entered high school: hunger, abuse, drugs/alcohol, lack of parental commitment to education/their children, etc. And this applies most readily to two groups of students: Those in urban cores and rural communities.
Take most of us here. We were likely raised by parents (or someone) who taught us how to treat others and gave us the start of insights into the world - or at some point we were exposed to this. ALL OF US are bigots/judgmental. What separates us on this thread from some of the commenters posting on the Dispatch is we're able to, probably subconsciously now, realize when we're passing judgement unfairly.
So let's take an example that we used to talk about in college: When walking around downtown, many black men see women pull their purses tighter when they walk by. Even when these mens are in suits or nice clothes. Once I heard that, back in 1998, I became AWARE of my subconscious behavior when a black man walked down the street. Did I pull my bag closer? Was I subconsciously afraid of a race of people without ever having realized it? I explored my thinking and my behavior.
Now, if you've never been exposed to that kind of dialogue, or experienced it through family or friends, you're still walking down the street clutching your purse when a black man walks by.
So how does all of this relate to the comments?
The first step in correcting thinking and behavior - just like addiction - is recognizing bigoted behavior in ourselves. We ALL JUDGE some group based on what we've decided that group is. (Another example: I'm a Republican, does that make me a right-wing nut on what is probably a mostly Dem forum? And, isn't think this is a mostly Dem forum stereotyping on my part?) The answer is knowing we're stereotyping and correcting our response. If you have never learned that, you can't correct it.
Do I like the comments that are posted? No way. Do I want to bitch smack some of the posters? Heck yeah. Do I think they should be removed? Not necessarily. It's a reminder that we have a very long way to go as humans in opening dialogue about differences - real and perceived.
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