Unmoderated and anonymous comments on Nola.com reach a new low…
Marrero man electrocuted while working
See, nobody would be making these comments if their full name and image appeared beside the post. So this is not an accurate representation of people’s true thoughts on the incident. The reason they are making the insincere comments is BECAUSE they are anonymous. So it is bad journalism because, without the factors presented by the Web site, the people wouldn’t be making the comments. So, in a respect, the site’s parameters are creating the childish and reprehensible comments about the death of a man who was simply mowing his lawn on a Tuesday morning.
See I don’t really agree with that. I think the folks are saying exactly what’s on their mind for the most part.
(Those who aren’t being honest are really just playing games with people for taking the forum seriously in the first place but that’s another issue)
I don’t think you can blame the site for the behavior of the folks.. though. They are responsible for their own bullshit.
To me, reading these comments isn’t any different from reading the transcript to any talk radio show over the past twenty years… minus the stupid blowhard host, of course.
But the dynamic is dictated by the site, it’s not a statement of how people really feel. it’s a statement on how they feel when they don’t have to take responsibility for their words.
To use some psychobabble for a sec, the superego is totally removed from the scenario.
And that is different from real life.. how exactly?
What I’m trying to say is that the insensitivity of the commenters shouldn’t really… well.. you know..
It’s different than real life because someone who might say that stuff, wouldn’t be saying it where the friends and family would hear it. They would be making bad jokes in the cabs of their trucks or at the dinner table rather than an open forum where they can be shamed by public. And most, importantly, their name and face isn’t attached to the statement.
This is why in the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization’s discussion group we require people to put a name to their words.
I forgot that the comments could also be used to stump unrelated causes!
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/08/car_fire_has_ccc_closed.html