depressing reading: the comments section on news sites

I agree and I get even more depressed when I read comments attached to my local papers. I sometimes think the nutjobs expressing these bigoted, selfish, and ignorant thoughts could be one of my neighbors. Scary.

I do get a sense of aloneness when reading lots of comments that are diametrically opposed to my point of view. The reason for this is a basic part of my makeup in that I don't like rejection. My wife says that I'm overly sensitive to it, and while that may be true, it's still a part of my makeup that produces strong emotions.

The net has changed me, and probably others too, because more so than the experts on a review of a food dish, or a product, the comments of people who've had real world experience out weights the experts comments. I make purchasing decisions based upon the number of reviews and the percentage of favorable reports. My wife uses allrecipes.com all the time, and selects dishes based upon comments.

http://arundathi-foodblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/nutella-brownies.html

Dammit, now that's one of my flogs (my word for food blogs). Thanks, pronounce.

The comments in the thread post got me because of what I take to be a sea of inchoate anger. On the other hand, I didn't always, every time, cringe at anti Bush commentary, but to be fair to myself, I sometimes did.

I admit I don't usually look at comments on political stuff in the NYT; I should check them out. I can be interested in, and occasionally learn by reading well written comments against my point of view.

I too like to read well written and thoughtful comments in opposition to my point of view.

'Cause, you know, being right all the time is so dreary.

I grew up in a fundamentalist, Christian community, because that is my Mom's view, and I always had this niggling suspicion that the arguments presented for truth were empty rhetoric. So as a way to understand Truth I began reading anti-Christian and material. (Plus I have to give credit to my thoughtful and outspoken neo-pagan coworker for some of my inquiry.) Knowing that there were honest, loving, concerned, sincere people who didn't share my views helped me to not be so antagonistic.

That said, I do realize I'm a perceived threat to some people and because of this they will feel the urge to attack me. That just comes with the territory for anyone who dares to divine the truth for themselves.