This'll be my third post in four years of subscribing to Salon. What I've found resonant in this thread were the posters (apologies as I'm going to cop out of wading back through the filth to get your names) who made analogies to the freak rage phenomenon as well as the big-city phenomenon to describe internet discourse. That was food for thought and thanks for that.

Also the people who've written their opinions about their own conflicts between valuing unmoderated speech and the practical result of it on teh intarwebz, which is that the trolls turn it into a sewer--which is yet again illustrated by this very thread. I thank you too. Good to know I'm not alone.

There was much more about this following the recent Kamiya article about reader feedback, but I continue to be baffled at why Salon hasn't acted on it. They've always had this sort of minimalist UI, but jeez. If I were King, I'd just turn the radio buttons at the top into checkboxes and give four filter choices: Editor's Choice, Subscriber Responses, Non-Subscriber Responses, and Anonymous Responses. All checked by default, and then you uncheck the ones you don't want and those preferences are saved for you next time you view any letters thread. I could code that in my sleep, for crying out loud.

Were that to exist, seems to me that it'd eliminate 99% of the crap for the people who are tired of the crap. The crappers could still come and crap, but the nonidiots wouldn't be forced to wade through it unless they felt like they needed to be punished for their sins that day. Because generally speaking, those with the cojones to subscribe and/or name themselves are generally far more rational than those who have not those cojones. Also more interesting, insightful, yadda yadda. Coincidence? Must be.

For a couple of years I was admin on a game-community site. It's utterly fascinating how the discourse and the psychological phenomenon visible at work is exactly the same. The same smart rational people being dragged down by the trolls. It transcends content.

So no surprise to me that a perfectly innocent Javascript blogger got targeted for this. Seen it before. And yes, with regard to the specific topic of this thread, it's over the line, disgusting, infuriating. Yet nowadays commonplace, which is also disgusting and infuriating.

Another lesson I learned there is how the simplest deterrents steer away trolls. I cannot even tell you how many I saw trying to post drama and then stopped cold at the prospect of having to have their IP address logged, or go through a confirmation process that required a functioning e-mail, both minimal, minimal barriers to entry, and so easily spoofed! Yet even that was too much! It was like cockroaches scattering from the light; it was truly amazing.

These cockroaches will scatter too. Put them either in a position where they have to put something on the line and can't be a disembodied voice, or remove their food supply--which is the knowledge that others are being forced to read their shit with no other option. And they'll go away. No moderation or infringement of "free speech" (as if this is a public space; it's no more a "public space" than a hotel lobby is) is necessary.

Thank the Goddess that you're here to speak for the good ones!

a lot of the angry men direct their anger at women, claiming the women treated the men wrong for everything to go so wrong.

In contrast, angry women who think everything in the love life has gone wrong internalize that anger and blame themselves.

I just that RageBoy's blog and I think he's annoying, full of it and venemous for no reason. He has an issue with Kathy's "creating passionate users". This is technology for god's sake! What the hell is wrong with taking it to another dimension? This guy feels like a troll with his own blog. This is a blog i'm boycotting.

I don't think he will miss you at his blog.

If you are at all rational you have to admit that women suffer more at the hands of men than men do at the hands of women. If I really have to I can dig up statistics showing that far more men murder women than vice versa.

As for net total suffering, I think it is roughly equal.

While more men murder and rape women than the opposite, that is not the only way someone can make someone else suffer.

There is certainly psychological, physical (non murder or rape), and mental suffering to be had for all.

Granted, an unmarried man who is clever can stay quite free of women while partaking in the milk, but the reality is that a small fraction of men are in such a situation.

Often men are married, estranged, divorced and suffer in their own ways.

It all depends on who is running the show, who is in power. Before the ring, men are, after the ring, women are. You can deny it all you like and portray women as powerless dumbshits, but this is one area where I cringe at y'alls ignorance. Women rule the roost, and women make the rules, and lots of men suffer as a result. Because you refuse to accept or count it does not make it disappear.

Also, how often is men's suffering tallied when it comes to fighting wars? You can make loads of arguments that society and culture is predicated on conquest in order to get more goodies to get and keep the best supply of poon. Therefore, men suffer in a way as a result of women. That is, unless you are willing to deny that men do not organize their whole lives around the pursuit of the hottest women they can get. Then I would just say you are ignorant or deluded.

I could go on, but I am sure your orthodox and heavily invested view refuses you the ability to accept any arguments besides those that posit women are good, men as bad. I am also sure you think I am not entitled to an opinion that does not square with orthodox feminism because I am not a woman. So why am I wasting my time with you? Oh, because you dared me to respond.