This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Who are all these online newspaper article commentators? Do they have jobs? If they do have jobs, how productive are they at work? Do they have hobbies? Do they have relationships with real people — or just with other commentators? Are they fearful about expressing their views in the public square? Do they tremble about the possibility that someone might actually discover their real identities? Can these commentators have a civil dialogue? Is it possible for them to say, "I was wrong?" Why does any comment with an aura of cynicism, atheism, or anarchism get lots of upticks and thumbs-up?
How can I be one of these well-respected commentators? How can I gain traction in the blogger community? How can I get lots of "points" for my comments? I want to be anonymously popular! I want to be a champion of free speech—by verbally boxing all my opponents until they bleed in the mouth.
Ben Watkins
Brigham City