I have spent a lot of time online reading news today. So much so that I am falling into that feeling I get every once in a while if I spend too much time reading news and those who comment on it. It is entirely possible for me to keep my faith in humanity if I avoid reading comments on the subjects of religion, politics, and celebrities. Unfortunately, the need to do so at times, and in large number is necessary. Today was one of those days.
Normally, I will read news and tell myself I don’t want to read the reactions of other users. Certainly, I try to avoid political blogs slanted one way or the other and the comments that follow. Any “world news” story tends to be somewhat better if read on a neutral site for me since the hatred and downright outlandish claims of posters isn’t so unbalanced. That doesn’t mean I can totally avoid it, but it definitely helps ease my mind, and the intelligence level seems higher for non-partisan forums.
I won’t even bother with religion.
Celebrities, like politics are similar. Not that the level of topic is the same, but the conversations equate to some level with their absurdity. The only difference between the two is that the same idiots found a politics site instead of an entertainment blog. IMDb.com the movie site tends to be a hybrid of both, but even more absurd because the people there know even less about politics than the people on the political sites.
Overall, spending enough time online reading discussions of any “controversial” nature, and I say that in quotes because most of this stuff shouldn’t even be controversial, I realize just how many insane people there are. Some of these topics are meant to promote intelligent discussion. Unfortunately, I feel like I am losing excessive brain cells the more I read it. It is just so mind-numbing that I become generally depressed if I spend enough time gawking.
This post has almost no point. It is being written because I am frustrated, and somewhat disturbed at the ability of so many to be so spiteful and unintelligent. It is contagious. It spreads so rampantly on stories I read that I wonder just how people are even able to walk past each other on the street without stabbing each other.
I am writing this for my own benefit right now. That is all. I don’t care if you are entertained. I won’t be making up any presentation covers and trying to publish this. It’s just a rant, and a catharsis.