Like us, Roger L. Simon has observed that as the election seasons heats up, so does the volume of comments to his blog. Â Some of those who chime in over there sound a lot like those who chime in here:
Still, it interests me whether these are operations planned in some campaign boiler room or if they are indeed volunteers. As an example, one man (I assume it’s a man) calling himself Jay has popped up here in recent weeks, attacking me in a rather non-stop, scurrilous manner but without very much attention to what I have written.
They don’t really seem interested in the things we’ve written nor in the ideas expressed in the posts to which they attach their rants. Seems they’re more interested in venting and attacking than they are in engaging us. Â But, I’ve said this before . . .
And while we’re on the subject of comments, it seems our spam filter is trying to take over the blog. If you don’t see your comment posted after you’ve written and submitted it, e-mail me and I’ll search for it in our spam file, approving it when appropriate.
I’ve noticed the increase in Troll Droppings on other blogs as well. The funny part is these trolls are making the resident loons look calm and intelligent by comparison. And in a few cases. . .That takes some doing.
It is a practice as old as blogging itself. (How old is that anyway? Not as old as God, maybe, but at least as old as Miley Cyrus.) I’m not sure if these rogue commenters are so deliberate in their careless attacks as they are simply delighted to see their words on the screen, no matter how blindly they snipe. In fact, the more vitriol the better, for some . . . makes them feel tough. It can be a dangerous phenomenon, though. I wonder how many brutal and time-wasting national rumors start as a minor piece of gutter gossip in a blog comment, before being elevated overnight into the kind of trash that glows in the dark.
Am I just cynical, or does NO reader check the facts anymore? Even on the larger stage of national commentary, we must spend so much time filtering through the he-said-she-said tripe in the pursuit of what is actually true or, more typically, even relevant.
I don’t have the answer, but I promise I read your entire post, Dan, before responding to it!
You’re just afraid of the truth!!! 😛 hehehe j/k
Looking at most blogs it seems conversations evolve beyond the intention of the original article. Nature of the beast I suppose.
I agree with LGP, sometimes if there isn’t a fresh new post in a day or so I just jump in with my “fresh new” opinion about something else. Bad etiquette I guess.