The Comments Section

I love the Toronto Star. Of course I do, it's Toronto's socialist daily. If I had any money I would probably subscribe. But there would be a considerable sacrifice in getting the printed edition - I wouldn't get to read the comments the online articles attract. The Star has the best comment section I've ever found. Maybe that needs some background.

If you aren't from Toronto (or within the range of its media coverage) our disgraceful Mayor has claimed the Star has a vendetta with him since he took office. Some animosity is understandable - he is on the political Right, the Star is Left wing all the way. The Mayor, however, doesn't see this in terms of legitimate debate. He has a persecution complex that is notable even in a Right wing politician. All over North America, the Right sees themselves as being persecuted by the "elitist" Left; Mayor Ford thinks the Star deliberately prints libels and falsehoods against him and his family. He has been served with a libel notice himself for doing everything possible to call the Star's city hall chief a pedophile without actually calling him a pedophile. Based on what evidence? None. Anyway, that's roughly the level of the acrimony between the two parties and, although the legal action is a peak, it is how the relationship has been since Ford was a counsellor. So why, you might wonder, do several very dedicated commentators attack every Star article from the Right? I'm definitely on the Left so I try to stay away from the National Post - very Rightist for Canadian media. I will read articles now and again but I don't pick a fight with it. It is what it is.

I haven't identified all the Rightist commentators on the Star's web page. They're easy to spot because they pick fights with other people and always attempt to rebut - they always want the last word. Some of the chains go on for 15 or 20 comments- back and forth between "TransitMan" and "7thGenCanadian". The fights frequently degenerate to "You just don't get it" or variations on the latte libel ("You and your elitist friends won't be happy until every taxpayer is forced to take a second job to support the leaches you are protecting!") These commentators hate transit, hate taxes, love Rob Ford, hate anyone who lives downtown (or seems like they might since no one gives their address), think the Left is against the little guy and the "pro-business party" is for him (or her).

Two things really strike me. First, they are relentless. Day after day, article after article, they read just to get indignant. How is that rewarding for them? I'm not suggesting they should stop (and deprive me of one of my favourite hobbies, comment trolling) but I wonder where they get the time and energy to keep it up. They hate cyclists and claim to drive their hummers (or Cadillacs or SUVs or whatever) everywhere they go but their presence on the web is a full time job by itself. If you look at the time stamp on the comments, it's one every 15 minutes or so over a period of several hours. So either that's all they do when they aren't working or they're doing it at work. I can see it being a fun time waster at work but still, wouldn't you get tired? In the opposite position (imagining the same kind of comment campaign on the NP I am exhausted just thinking about it). Second, they are actually trying to make arguments. I think the arguments are all flawed but, if I'm being fair, no more than the arguments they are trying to rebut. This isn't a meeting of great minds - it's a slug fest between the righteous, indignant and ignorant Rightists and the righteous, indignant, and ignorant Leftists. Almost every comment is based on a demonstrably false precept, has obviously flawed logic, or is nothing more than mud-slinging. And that's part of the reason I stay out of it. These people aren't stupider than I am. We have different areas of expertise. So when someone (on either side) claims Toronto's transit system is used more frequently by lower classes than upper classes, I know that's wrong. Toronto's transit system is a surprisingly accurate sample of Toronto's economic demographics - different levels of wealth are concentrated at different points but the system as a whole has ridership from all economic levels and the proportions are accurate. I didn't know that until about a week ago. Before then I would have assumed the statement about lower classes was true. That's a long digression to demonstrate a fairly small point, still it's interesting neither side is substantially more ignorant than the other (as far as I can tell).

So if you read this and are a daily commentator, please don't stop. I spend more time reading the comments than I do reading the articles. Someone is listening, so keeping talking (or, rather, writing). I don't know why you do it and I think you are a little crazy but you are crazy in a harmless and entertaining sort of way.