Friday, August 15th, 2008...2:02 pm
More Jackassery From the Star and Citizen Comment Crew
A friend of mine forwarded this comment posted on the Tucson Citizen message boards. It was in response to a story by Anne Denogean (whose name I mention because she actually reads this blog) about a woman in Surprise that will be voting in her 20th straight presidential election, despite the best efforts of the boneheads who came up with our new voter ID laws:
You say this poor old woman is 97 years old and disabled by a stroke….sounds about right…the only white folks who will vote Democrat in the presidential election are either in this lady’s condition..or mentally challenged liberals. Now the story makes a bit of sense.
Funny thing, they never mentioned who the woman was going to vote for.
To me, it was a nice story about folks trying to help an old woman exercise her right to vote. Unfortunately, this guy took it as a chance to insult an elderly woman he doesn’t even know anything about, all because he’s got some chip on his shoulder. Pathetic, but unfortunately all too common.
Here is one from this morning that ticked me off for a couple of reasons. Last night, a bicyclist was killed while riding home from work. So, what do these guys decide to harp on? Well, a couple complained that their trip home was slowed because police had the road blocked off (bear in mind that the article clearly stated that the cyclist was killed, but apparently, it was more important that they get home in time to watch Wheel of Fortune). Another complained about the Fire Department. Here was the worst one though: one bragged that he “almost got me a two wheeler” and that he’d be happy to see more cyclists killed.
I don’t understand how a human being can read a story like this and come up with this stuff.
These comments were all the worse because, I actually know the guy that was killed. His name was Chuck Nystrom, his wife was a teacher where I work and I am friends with his daughter as well. Chuck was even on my pool team for a while. He was a graduate of the Air Force Academy and served in the Kosovo conflict and finished his time in the Air Force working out of a base in Qatar directing air support for operations in Afghanistan. After retiring from the Air Force, he followed his wife into teaching and taught science and environmental studies at a local high school. He was riding a bicycle rather than a car (even though the commute from the northwest side was rather long) because he thought it was important to have fewer cars on the road.
But, hey, don’t let these details interfere with any smug rants.
I suppose one good way to honor Chuck’s memory is to take pity on people who even in the wake of tragedy feel the need to spit this sort of bile at the rest of us. When you pray for his family, pray for these guys too.
14 Comments
August 15th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I said in an earlier post that the comment section on any story related to immigration is frankly poison. The Star and Citizen monitor those comments closely, sometimes ban people, and sometimes they dont even allow comments on stories because the extent of the whackjobbery that is there.
I used to comment on stories there and actually try to take the other side…I was a moron to do so…the poison was so deep that it made me depressed and bitter.
Apparently not just immigration stories too.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
There are few things that depress me more than reading comments on newspaper sites. The New York Times generally monitors pretty well, but even the Washington Post’s political stories’ and blogs’ comments contain horrible stuff.
As for the Arizona papers, well, reading the comments to online stories is for masochists or for those who want confirmation that humankind is deservedly damned.
That part of the online world is hardly ever mentioned by those who proclaim the internet has produced a new golden age of communication.
Rational discourse shows up on these things only by accident.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Their are wackos that post crap on just about every article, especially since the papers started monitoring hotbuton issue-based articles. I wonder what these folks do for a living that they have all of that time to waste posting garbage on news articles (one of your brother’s opponents seems to make it a point to post something about himself on any article dealing with LD29)
There is a particular venomous hatred of bicycles that I just don’t understand. they want to balme them for all sorts of traffic ills and every bicycle-car accident. Sadly, it seems as if the bicyclist in this incident is at fault.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I had to stop reading the comments on all the Arizona papers sites a while ago…the people who post such awful, ignorant, and moronic things don’t deserve my attention.
And the story about the bicyclist getting killed last night is horrible - we have lots of friends who have started cycling since gas has gone so high. Drivers need to learn to share the road! Please extend my sympathies to his family.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Thanks for sticking up for Chuck. I called KVOA this evening to raise a little cane when they started out their story about Chuck’s students by saying it was his fault. Do they stop to think that they go to far and it upsets a grieving family? They weren’t particularly sympathetic when I called the station to complain. The woman I spoke to even denied that they used the word “fault”. I think I’m going to have to stop watching the news for a few weeks.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Nicely put re: Chuck.
I stopped reading comments on the online newspaper articles as well — asinine doesn’t even come close to describing the ignorance and just plain mean-ness that seams to be running rampant everywhere.
Oh to walk a mile in another’s shoes before opening one’s mouth.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
RIP Chuck.
The insensitivity of the people in this country is scary. From how they believe we have a right to attack another country, “not in Europe”, to torture and to killing innocent bystanders, to the handling of the economic refugees that end up on our doorsteps. Their comments about Chuck don’t surprise me and that to me, is the most horrific part of this whole story.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I wonder how many of those commenters would say those things in public.
Then I remember the shockingly callous attitudes some of my co-workers exhibited toward the victims of Hurricaine Katrina and that tells me the Star commenters may not be hesitant to express their views openly.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Isn’t it a shame when cousins marry?
August 19th, 2008 at 9:25 am
kralmajales said: “The Star and Citizen monitor those comments closely, sometimes ban people, and sometimes they dont even allow comments on stories because the extent of the whackjobbery that is there.”
The Citizen does keep an eye on our comments, but we don’t ban people (besides the rare spammer) and we always allow comments on stories.
We’re dedicated to providing a forum where everyone can have their say. Certainly people will at times offer comments that are rude and awful. Others will be thoughtful and considerate. Both deserve a place to be heard.
Of course, there are times when the level of discourse could be a bit more elevated - please feel free to try to lift it up. ; )
Dylan Smith
Online Editor
TucsonCitizen.com
August 19th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Thanks for correcting me Dylan. I should have spoken of only the AZ Star and not your paper. I unfairly lumped both papers together.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Yeah, the AZ Star isn’t much of a newspaper, but apparently better than the Citizen that has concluded that the most ignorant, vile, and vitriolic people need a place to express their opinions.
Providing that for them must give you a real sense of purpose, Dylan.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Liza,
While I’d prefer that people weren’t ignorant, vile and vitriolic, I find that I prefer freedom of speech even more.
The path of determining who has a right to speak publicly isn’t one that I want to even see on a map, much less take a step down.
I can’t say that I personally agree with much of what gets said in our comment threads. But yeah, even those folks need a place to express their opinions. We don’t censor our readers based on some standard of correctness.
Some of ‘em are tasteless. Some of ‘em are sarcastic. Some offer thoughtful comments that many still disagree with.
If you don’t see your point of view represented, please join in the conversation.
Dylan Smith
Online Editor
TucsonCitizen.com
August 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Yes, Dylan, the First Amendment is one of my favorites too.
Go back and read the original post about the comments that were made about the bicyclist who was killed and explain why these comments should not be moderated in the interest of preserving their freedom of speech.
Nevermind. This is a stupid discussion.
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