When readers lose control

The Internet does strange things to people. I’ve written about this in a previous column, if anyone cared to read it. Once people have the opportunity to act anonymously, they really do convert moral inches into moral miles. The next thing you know, we see people doing things they never would in their normal inch-living day.

You know, I also wrote a separate column that talked about swearing, and when to do it. It has become clear that many people have never learned how to properly swear. For example: A cheerful reader left a comment as follows: “I have no words to describe myself, so [expletive] you.” Funny thing: It seems that this reader did, in fact, have words to describe their - what would you say - emotions? Their choice of words just lacked any serious effort at creativity.

The most damning thing that I experienced over the past couple of days was the easiness from which blanket statements were thrown by blog readers over certain issues and topics. Some readers would do better by throwing a blanket over their monitor and keyboard – nothing short of terminating usage.

In defense of the writer, Isa Gillette, I will say a few things. With the content written in her blog post, it should be evident that her experience in the Lair was not a random occurrence for her; it was a recurrence. On multiple mornings, she deals with the same employee who makes it difficult for her and everyone else to get in and out of the Lair quickly. While the problem may be pointed to the individual employee, I think it would be valuable to consider the possibility of an understaffing during those hours. Long lines at the registers are not something entirely new to the Lair.

Furthermore, at the bottom of Ms. Gillette’s post, there was a link to Jose Martinez’ blog post, which essentially offered an opinion of the complete opposite. The reader would do well to consider this before vocalizing – what I would call – emotional comments, which seem to be completely devoid of rationalization.


-Alex Tandy