When writing an article for a student newspaper there are two ways it will go. Either no one reads the article and it descends into the oblivion of the internet, noticed by no one other than a copy editor. On the other hand, there could be a myriad of comments complaining about the writers lack of skills, knowledge, degree, etc. It’s not just student newspapers; any news source with an online platform has been swarmed with attacking sentiments. Commenters will berate the writer, torment the mentioned politician and so on. The comment section of the internet has become a dark hole. The ability to post anonymously online can also lead to comments people would never stand by in person.
The internet provides an exciting opportunity and shared communicative space that could provide a place for positive debate and questions, but instead whenever one looks at comment section, instead of politely expressing an opinion, the comments are riddled with unnecessarily mean ways of sharing difference.
There was a recent letter to the editor published in this very newspaper, written satirically as a response to Madison being named the “best place in the country to live.” The author, Geoffrey Asmus, utilized statistics from Madison’s recently published Race to Equity report that informed residents of the vast inequality in the area. The comment section of this piece attacked the writer, rather than stating a different opinion. Instead of simply pointing out disagreement, or stating facts, many of the comments call out the writer himself, mocking his degree and writing skills. This doesn’t create a space where people feel comfortable discussing issues like racial inequity or political problems, but instead an internet thread of anger. Why does the opportunity to discuss opinions turn into a blatant disregard for human decency?
Letter to the Editor: Madison is the best place to live … if you’re white and rich
This comes up more frequently on controversial issues like race (remember last year’s op-eds about affirmative action in the Herald and Cardinal) or politics, and could make people not want to write an opinion about anything controversial, simply for fear of getting personally ripped apart.
If people are in disagreement they should absolutely take advantage of the shared Internet space, and use it to discuss social issues in a positive and meaningful way. Internet comments can showcase factual errors and be helpful to society. For example, the New York Times recently published a grossly offensive article pinning Shonda Rhimes as an “angry black woman.”
The famed newspaper penned this out-of-touch column only to receive resounding backlash from the rest of the internet community. Though the entire piece was flawed, and the comments abundant, the strongest comments critiquing the piece pointed out flaws in the authors argument as opposed to attacking the writer herself. The controversy opened up conversations for how we talk about race in the media, sparking numerous blog posts and opinion articles across the country. From a negative piece, social discussion was found.
The internet provides an amazing wealth of knowledge, and comments on articles could be a shared space for discussion and debate to talk about real issues (like the very true problem of dramatic inequality in Madison), but if people continue to pull punches for the sake of pulling punches, what does that achieve? Disagreement makes democracy flourish, but where does being an asshole get you?
Phebe Myers ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and international studies.
