The comments section of the large news organizations are full of the worst human filth...

[Locut0s]

I was just reading an article about the new strain of bird flu in China. I made the mistake of taking a look at the comments section.People were comparing the Chinese to cockroaches and worse and a good number of people were agreeing with them. This isn't limited to CNN or fox I've seen the same on many other news sites. It doesn't surprise me but it's distressing to see how pervasive and accepted it is.

[BeyondGeography]

1. If it's any consolation

They all thought Romney was a shoo-in. It was amazing how readable comments sections were for a few days after the election.

But that was it. Best to avoid.

[leftyohiolib]

2. yea it's best to stay away from the comments section it's full of human sewage

[Initech]

3. One of the worst examples of a comment section that immediately comes to mind...

Was last year when Against Me! lead singer Tom Gabel came out as transgender and announced that he was becoming a woman named Laura Jane Grace. Rolling Stone did a five page interview telling her story and what made her come out. The comments section was completely disgusting. There were something like 1500 replies. Maybe two of them knew what they were talking about. The rest was bile, hateful religious rhetoric about how GLBT people were going to hell. Disgusting.

[RevStPatrick]

4. Anonymity makes that possible...

...you FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!!

No... I'm only kidding!
But that's the point.
Anonymous people do and say things they would never do and say if everybody knew who they were.
That's why people in their cars can be such jerks.

People generally are more polite on Facebook, for example, than in the more anonymous corners of the internet.

[Locut0s]

6. what bothers me is this represents their real feelings. People don't say things like that...

If they don't believe in them. They don't say them in public simply because they know they might get in trouble. But they think it and it comes out when they can be anonymous. I'd actually rather they acted like the human filth they are.

[IDemo]

5. Not limited to large news sites

Our local paper gets the bottom of the barrel with comments most days.

[G_j]

7. yep, my local paper

gets it too. yuck