I'm sorry if it's not appropriate to bring up right here, but I'm currently fuming over the (nearly) unmitigated acrimony and worse, utterly value-free content of the letters thread.

I enjoy interacting with people and reading stimulating interactions.

It's dismaying that entire threads are given over to hundreds of letters barely rising above: "Fuck you, no, fuck you, NO, FUCK YOU!..."

I'm just passing on this grievance because I feel like Salon could be great, but that it's overrun by mean-spirited, intellectually dishonest and generally small people whose contributions serve no apparent end other than to feed the beast of acrimony and discord.

Isn't there something you can do as an editor to at least temper the worst of it?

It's getting to where the worthwhile letters are so few and far between I'm starting to question the wisdom of my participation here.

That's all, I just wanted to let you know what's on my mind; I've seen formerly quality blogs totally degenerate due to utter lack of basic decency and interpersonal respect, so I'd urge you to take action not to let that happen here.

Thanks, Joan.

weeping, as you know, I've given this a lot of thought. Do you have ideas for what I/we might do? Clearly, it's not everywhere (my Carlin thread today was great, and it included some people who can get...obstreperous on other topics). It's mainly Obama/Clinton threads, but also gender issues, generally. I welcome all thoughtful suggestions.

Well, two suggestions off the top of my head. One is to try to be vigilant regarding trolls. For instance, if a person's comments amount to little more than talking points, and display no particular engagement either with the substance of an essay (like this comment?) or the substance of another poster's comments, perhaps they can be cleared away like so much dead weight.

The other concerns the writers. In the case of Traister, for instance, the entire premise of the essay could have been predicted to generate a good deal of mindless acrimony, based on the history of the topic. So one approach would be to simply rethink the productive value of the essay in the first place.

But, if it is determined that the essay does have productive (and not merely incendiary) value, fine, but then it should still be incumbent upon the writer to make a diligent effort to allay tensions and conflicts before they arise, for example by anticipating them in the piece itself and calling on readers not to give in to facile antipathies and reminding them what the actual point of the essay is, that it is not intended to stir it up, but rather explore a, b, and c because of d, e, and f.

Tone, I guess is what I'm saying. As written, Traister's piece just invited the vitriolic morass that unfolded. She's too smart not to have seen it coming and yet did nothing (as far as I can tell) to control for it.

Ok, that's off my chest now.

Thank you for listening, Joan. I appreciate it.

Now go fuck yourself, sister!

(Sorry, couldn't resist. Rest in Peace, George Carlin.)

Ms. Walsh -

I'm not a frequent poster, although I've been a total blabbermouth for a couple of days. In fact I just blew my top in another thread in a way I probably shouldn't have, but normally I try to be pretty cool.

I run a very, very small internet board devoted to a pretty specific (and geeky!) hobby, but even our small group of regulars can get unruly. We only have one rule - if you criticize a post, do it without insulting the poster. It doesn't always work, and I'd be lying if I said it hasn't make some people unhappy enough to leave. It keeps things civil, even in political or religious threads, and if nothing else, we're all aware that sometimes words on a screen can be pretty damaging, so we try to tread accordingly.

We're all grown ups here, we can and should have our ideas challenged periodically - when people start forgetting the topic to simply throw shit at each other (pardon my Carlin), no one gets challenged, they just get covered in shit.

I've loved Salon for a long time, and the letters threads were always a highlight for me. The discourse in here is usually so far above just about anything else on the net, it's hard to see that bottom out in even a few threads.

Keep up the good work around here. No matter how much people may yell and complain, there's still no other place in the introwebs quite like this one. Sure, we've all hollered at the screen at one thing we've read or another, but that means you're doing your job, right?

oddly, I had done my homework and already read the articles Ms Walsh sited and had the good fortune to watch the Larry show. I agree with you Joan Walsh.

Regarding the Weeping for For Berlin or whatever intervention, I have a real problem taking anyone seriously hiding behind a mask. I have said that before here. Feel free to address me by my name Richard if you wish and disagree with me of course but I have trouble relating to faux personalities from Ossian James Macpherson fables.

I am a minor student of Norse Myths and the name I use is a real name from my ancestors from west viking Norway not that it matters but getting it right is still good.

We know who George Carlin "is" who is weeping that complains about discourse? Man Woman what century?

All of which is relevant to what, exactly?

I caught part of the Carlin tribute on King. Seeing Lewis Black on the show made me think that he is one comedian who could carry on Carlin's attitude and sharp comedic satire.

In regard to Weeping @ Brunhilda's concerns, I too have been bummed about the tone of the letters section. It got the best of me today, and I vented in a way that was not particularly kind or helpful. The trolls should of course be ignored. It was glaringly apparent that there was an invasion of people who for whatever reason only wanted to stir up shit. I think perhaps articles confronting and addressing the sexism and racism that arose during the campaign without focusing them on Clinton or Obama would be a good starting point for serious discussion and debate. In other words divorce the issues from these obvious lightning rods and attractors of trolls. I have certainly evaluated and contemplated my own latent misogyny and issues regarding race lately. Needless to say, I have a lot to learn.

Aside from trolls, Salon also has a trove of astute and articulate writers as readers and letter writers. Maybe you could issue a call for papers from Salon readers to write personal essays about how they have wrestled with both changing and stagnant issues of race and gender.