Is it me or are there alot of haters on SFgate? (Oakland: real estate, estate)

[BayDude]

Browsing the comment section of SFgate for *any* article, no matter how mundane it is, always a hoot. Your bound to see more than a few "wise guy" or just outright hateful comments.

Is this (pessimism) an accurate reflection of SF attitudes?

[DocGoldstein]

Are you talking about the user comments for articles?

If you are, I can assure you it's not an isolated incident unique to SFGate.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by BayDude

Is this (pessimism) an accurate reflection of SF attitudes?

More reflective of SF-hater attitudes. You don't even need to go past our dear little C-D to find haters.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by BayDude

Browsing the comment section of SFgate for *any* article, no matter how mundane it is, always a hoot. Your bound to see more than a few "wise guy" or just outright hateful comments.

Is this (pessimism) an accurate reflection of SF attitudes?

These people can be found on CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC, and especially YOUTUBE

[sav858]

It's the nature of the internet in general. But some stories do attract those that love SF too and it will get a lot of positive comments. Certain stories attract certain people I've noticed.

[pch1013]

I used to comment on SFGate, then I got banned for calling out a bunch of white supremacists. True story.

[Carlite]

Something about newspaper comment boards--the LA Times has a bunch of bottom-feeders too. The New York Times doesn't, because it only allows comments on certain stories, and it moderates all comments. The NYT comments range politically, but they don't get into name calling and racist remarks. City data has some of this crap, but in my experience it's less here than either at SF Gate or the LA Times. I've mostly given up on both those comment boards.

[mayorhaggar]

What I learned from crappy newspaper website comment sections:

- the death penalty is the greatest thing in the history of the universe
- if you ever encounter someone shady, shooting them immediately is always the best option
- anyone with a Spanish last name is an illegal immigrant and probably a murderous cartel member
- if you step foot in Oakland, you will get shot
- the next real estate crash is right around the corner...any day now...for the last 4 years...
- American aid to foreign countries is the biggest cause of our deficit

[NewToCA]

Anonymity is a really interesting recent phenomena associated with blogs and posting websites. Likewise, it also applies to the comments section on "newspaper" articles.

What I have found is that allowing folks to hide behind false names results in very extreme and rude comments, in addition to trolling just to try and upset folks. However, I also think that the anonymity really allows many folks to express how they sincerely feel, without the interpersonal veneer of staying civil and wanting to be accepted by peer groups. As a result you end up with a bluntness not normally seen in real life personal exchanges or when folks sign real names to comments (such as the old letters to the editor).

Really fascinating, a whole bunch of plus and minus observations.

[pch1013]

But as rotten as the SFGate comments section is, it's a veritable hippie love-in compared to the Interweb's most fetid fever swamp: Yahoo! News.