Internet Commenters Able to Detect Political Themes in Seemingly Random Events
It is a mistake to read too much into internet comments; then again, it is a mistake to read nothing into internet comments. They offer a view into the psyche of a large subset of the population—a view that cannot be found anywhere else outside of court records.
For the stereotypical American Internet Commenter, #content on the internet is less important for what it is than for its ability to serve as a canvas upon which to draw, in BRIGHT RED COLORS, a picture of said commenter’s view of the world. There are two primary rules for internet commenters:
- Anything can be linked back to your personal pet themes or grievances, no matter how absurd the connection might appear to be. And,
- Everything is evidence for your personal beliefs.
Here we have a Facebook video of an angry shirtless man running around downtown Denver, attacking various bystanders with a large stick. The random, uncontrollable acts of a mentally disturbed individual? Not for The American Internet Commenter, it’s not. You have to see what’s really going on. This is not a lone tragic incident. It is...
EVIDENCE FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT
EVIDENCE THAT ONE POLITICAL PARTY IS GOOD/ BAD
EVIDENCE THAT THE PEOPLE IN QUESTION ARE WEAKER, MORE COWARDLY, OR OTHERWISE INFERIOR TO YOU
EVIDENCE OF A GENERAL DECLINE IN QUALITY OF LIFE BROUGHT ABOUT BY PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOU, SOMEHOW
Video of a violent crime, video of a sports highlight, video of a famous person, same internet comments.
What does it all mean? (That we need guns.)