McGinn: Want real wackiness? Read the online commenting

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By Andrew McGinn, Staff Writer 5:49 PM Thursday, October 8, 2009

Every so often, someone will look at me and ask if I’m “that guy from the paper.”

That can be a good thing. And that can be a bad thing.

If, after continuing to stand there for 35 more seconds and I haven’t been slapped, kicked, maced, Tasered or kidney-punched, I usually consider that a good thing.

Then, every so often, they’ll say, “I’ve got to tell you something ...”

Again. A good thing or a bad thing.

“... I really enjoy ...”

Here’s where I arrogantly assume they’re going to compliment me on a certain story I’ve written.

“Speak Up.”

Oh. That.

But that’s cool, because I liked Speak Up, too. Last year.

Speak Up is so 2008.

As I now like to tell people, if they want to bear witness to some real wackiness, they’ve got to come read our online commenting.

If the dysfunctional reader comments of Speak Up seem like an episode of “Maury,” then the comments on our Web site (SpringfieldNewsSun.com) are like an episode of “Springer.”

Speak Up has become civilized. Web commenting is still like a Neanderthal — half-man and half-beast but all-wild, ripping apart a roe deer with its bare hands and teeth.

And that’s partially just because Speak Up has the benefit of spellcheck.

But if Speak Up is like the orderly duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, then Web commenting is My Lai — angry, confused and even the kids and old people wind up on the bad end of an M60.

Just this week, I came across this story on our site: “Find out which kids were named students of the month.”

Sounds harmless enough, right? Maybe even a little positive.

So, of course, someone had to comment: “They will have kids, dropped (sic) out of school and on welfare before long.”

Way to go, kids.

You little dirtbags.

Like Speak Up, it’s all anonymous, only there’s nobody there to play referee.

It’s Speak Up gone wild.

But it also reveals something troubling — that some people are just a bundle of raw nerves.

Add to that an utter inability to spell and you have the New Wild West.

These columns of mine, I’ll be the first to admit, are almost always just goofy fluff. But people seem to take them so seriously, with one person online calling me a “despicable piece of dirt” recently.

It got so bad that even my own mom jumped online in my defense.

Thanks, Ma.

All too often, it feels like a late-night fight at the scuzziest of bars, with bottles flying and people getting cracked over the back with wooden stools.

God bless the Information Superhighway.

And it doesn’t matter what the story is about. The comments are always the same.

Take my column, for example. But let’s say I break from tradition and write something somber for once.

The headline — “McGinn: Remembering my grandmother, two years after she lost the battle with tongue cancer.”

The comment, by someone let’s call 2Legit2Quit — “When are the editors going to fire this fool?!?! His stupid attempt at eulogizing his grandma is an EMBARRASSMENT. I hope his other grandma gets tongue cancer, too.”

Now imagine half those words misspelled.

Or say we run a headline like, “City shutting down barnyard brothel.”

The comment — “There ya go! Another reason I’m glad I left that hole 20 years ago! No vision, no jobs, no barnyard brothels! Last one out turn off the lights!”

Or let’s say we run the headline, “News-Sun wins Pulitzer Prize for exposing high levels of crank in public water supply.”

My all-time favorite Web comment — “I don’t read that socialist rag anymore. I’m glad I canceled my subscription.”

Uh.

Whose Web site do you think you’re on?

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0352 or amcginn@coxohio.com.

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