Comic blog cans comments
By Techgirl

While reader feedback, and even some anon comments, play a pivotal role in the democratization of the media, some commentators cross the line every time.  Instead of fact-based civil discourse, these mostly anon commentators spew racism, hatred and vile in every direction.

To control such perverse commenting, popular blog ‘India Uncut’ has stopped comments.   Another hit Indian blog Mumbai-based ‘Compulsive Confessor’ warned such commentators in one of her blog posts: “Anonymous comments are open for this post, but at the first sign of trollery, I warn you, I'm closing them again. I don't think any of us deserves any more finger pointing and name calling, yes?”

Like Compulsive Confessor, we female bloggers have more than our share of stalkers and some men who have no ideas of boundaries.  Recently, I got a comment in my blog: “Hi Techgirl, you write well but could do so much better.  Ring me at XXXX (number given) to discuss”.  Seriously, he expected me to call him to discuss my ‘bad’ writing.  And this commentator did not even give a link to his blog where presumably his writing was worthy of New York Times.

But how bad could trolls and commentators get?  So bad that it has almost become a joke!

DC Comics is the largest and most diverse English language publisher of comic books in the world. Founded in 1934, it publishes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and many others which are read by hundreds of millions of comic lovers.

Comics Alliance is reporting on how DC Comics had to ban all comments after an online discussion by readers got out of hand.  And what was the topic that brought out the beast in the mainly male commentators?  Who runs faster – Superman or the Flash?

“
The Source, the official blog of the DC Universe, has closed down their comments section following a brief but intense flamewar that broke out on a recent post and spiraled into personal attacks against readers, creators, and members of the DC comic’s staff.

As for what could possibly have inspired so much anger from the readers that the Source had to lock the whole site down to keep things from getting worse -- well, it won't surprise anyone who has spent more than five minutes reading any given forum on the Internet that the vitriol was based on a subject of absolute, life-or-death importance: Who runs faster, Superman or the Flash?
“

Techgoss note:  Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog techgirltalk.blogspot.com.  Techgirl has been ejected from Twitter for satirizing an Indian Minister.  Her satire blog has links to her Times of India interview detailing her being kicked out of Twitter, and then being invited back.