East Dallas Times

by Bruce Felps

Like just about every other blog and news media outlet populating the Weird Wide Web, this little site includes a “Comments” function associated with each and every posting.

I’m not sure the operators of every site use the function so much as a way to take the pulse of its readership as much as they use it to drive the “clicks” count and present a rosier picture to potential advertisers.

Still, I kinda like reading what other people have to say about the events and the way they’re presented.

At least for the most part. Some people, mostly hiding behind the anonymity of the comments, say some wicked nasty things to each other or about the writers.

Civil discourse … hey, what a concept

That’s why I’m proud of you guys. In the four and a half months of operation — wow, only 10 weeks? — this humble little cyber-outpost as been around, the number of comments has exceeded the number of published items.

Sure, some of them are mine, responding to or expounding on a reader’s comment, and some are the dreaded “pingback” the publishing system insists on when I link one story inside another — yes, I know somebody linked to one of my stories you automated moron; it was me — but that’s still pretty respectable for a teeniny Web site struggling to make its mark in the cold, cruel world.

Anyway, the pride wells up because I cannot remember a time when I had to edit out profanity or consider disallowing a comment because someone called another commenter a heinous name or wished bodily ill on someone.

Not sure I would delete or alter something like that, but the thought’s never even crossed my mind because you guys engage in civil discourse when discourse occurs.

Cold turkey

Some months back, Frontburner infamously disabled the comments function because, I think, some headcheese became a little defensive over some of the things said about his or the staff’s posts.

Hey, when you stir the pot don’t be surprised when some of it boils over, ya know?

I’m not sure, but I can’t help but think readership declined a bit during that period of censorship, and the powers relented, allowing a return of the witty, snarky [urp] banter between and among writers and readers.

So now we’re treated to comments about a certain Hall of Fame Cowboys quarterback being gay in the context of a possible appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Then again you get something like this: “55 is very old. 54 is not,” posted in the comments about a piece on a 55-year-old “elderly” man. Wise, gentle words, indeed.  

Whoa, can they say that?

Sometimes the comments to posts on Unfair Park resemble a shouting match at a Tourette syndrome convention.

One person, declaring written war against another commenter in a discussion about pit bulls — admittedly a hot-button topic — after recent attacks, told the adversary to “kindly go [ya know] a pit bull.” Yeah, you know, don’t you, Karen?

In another, the same commenter suggested that a person disagreeing should put a gun to his or her head and pull the trigger, although he or she would probably miss, to which the [ahem] target responded, “But, rest assured, I wouldn’t miss yours.”

Yikes.

Speaking of targets

In case you didn’t know, I work a freelance gig — gotta feed the cat — at NBCDFW. I write two commentary pieces a day, each weekday, and believe me, they are not news articles. They are opinion pieces.

Some people who read the TV station Web site don’t quite get the difference. Commenters — who obviously don’t get that it’s mostly tongue-in-cheek — have railed me because of shoddy “reporting,” because, for example, I didn’t provide an exact address from which to watch a lingerie skydiving event in Whitewright, Texas, because “how hard can it be to find anything in Whitewright, Texas?”

Um, it’s a joke, man.

One person called me an idiot because I don’t like Houston. Who in their right mind would like Houston? Uh oh.

Another person called me a racist because I don’t like hummus. Um, would that make me a Francophobe because I don’t like escargot? Geez, people, lighten up.

I guess that’s close to the point, though. Let’s unclench our collective sphincter and realize that just because someone disagrees with us doesn’t automatically make that person wrong or a brain-damaged orangutan. God, now I’m going to hear it from Friends of Orangutans accusing me of being an anti-simian. 

As a dear friend’s e-mail signature reads, “Don’t believe everything you think.”

Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times. Please be gentle with him in the comments section. Otherwise, his fragile self-esteem just could not take it.