With All Due Respect...: Comments and Media

Every person in the world has his own opinion in almost anything possible, and many of them love to defend their beliefs either through speech or writing. Especially in this era of social networking, people have rallied to express their agreement or disagreement, most infamously within the comments section. Yes, some may glance at the comments and continue with their lives, but even those few cannot deny the surprising power of comments.

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Recently I read an article in the Atlantic discussing the issue of "rape culture" after freshmen from a fraternity in the Old Dominion University made banners suggesting very promiscuous acts against young women (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/08/about-those-stupid-banners/402331/). The author of the article took a firm stand against the boys' actions and stated that it was an unfortunate result of the "rape culture" that needed to be addressed, even if it seems trivial.

I agreed with the author--such "jokes" are not in good taste, they disrespect women, and they could very well be indications that today's culture, our culture, is in sore need of revision. I then took a peek at the comment section to see everyone else's opinions on the matter. What followed was a flood of statements that agreed with my opinion and those that did not, both of which were presented respectfully and (for some) vulgarly.

The commenters primarily focused on their peers, with whom they debated whether this act demands attention or not. Some have expressed their concern and central fear that this article is a distraction from potentially larger international matters; others claimed that misogyny is an international matter. A few believed that the article is an overreaction to typical fraternity mischief; another person stated that the fraternity committed a Title IX violation.

Although it sounds as if the whole comments section was filled with screaming, rude know-it-alls, amongst the commenters were a certain number of people who did present themselves in good fashion. They gave credence to other commenters and revealed their own beliefs with some solid reasoning. For instance, one commenter named "gapaul" shared her concern over the issue by supporting it with her position as a woman, writing that women were tired with misogyny and discrimination and did not want their children to be doomed to the same fate. Others, like "Blogvader," seemed very stand-offish, making claims without any evidence or support, giving themselves an untrustworthy aura.

Although I myself was not affected by the comments, I could see it in the commenters. I could see some were conceding to what others told them. And this does not happen exclusively in the Atlantic. It happens in YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and even regular conversations. It was even reported that the views and perspectives of news readers can change by the commenters themselves (http://cjr.org/behind_the_news/comments_color_news_perception.php). Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to pose a question: If comments are truly this powerful, can we use it to make where we live a better place? Who knows? Maybe even comments here could do something great!