Editorial Comments Re-thought (Or Use a Stamp, Please!)

I read my news online by-and-large. I receive the local paper on Saturday and Sunday only and sometimes I don't have the time to read it- occasionally it will go into the recyclable-paper bag almost completely unread.

It's easy enough to click on the news links when I take a few minutes each day to check my email and catch up with my fellow bulletin-board members. I've got a couple of news sites saved so that's often how I receive my news. I try to stop reading once I reach the bottom of the article but occasionally I can't stop myself and continue reading.

What comes after the text of the article are the viewer-supplied editorial comments. The vitriol and ignorance contained in these missives is always startling.

I think it's simply too easy to provide comments. Anyone with a computer can dial in their viciousness for all to ponder- no stamp required.

My grandfather used to carefully craft letters to the editor. He was a wordsmith and an educator- he wrote his letters because he felt that his opinion could change something he viewed as wrong. He was proud when a letter was published. He was very careful about what he wrote- every word was thought-out.

I wonder what he would think if he read some of the things that I have read in the editorial comments- offerings such as "but anyway maybe turning urselfs into some kind of stupid tactics is too complicated and i hope people wont peak on you or i hope it last!" (I culled that gem, verbatim, offered as a full sentence, from something I read today.)

I've heard it said said that people should have something invested in what they own in order to get them to treat it with respect. Perhaps the same is true with opinions. If editorial comments could not be made anonymously and required some kind of investment, such as a stamp, then the quality of what is being offered would be better contemplated and maybe even worth reading.

Maybe these sites should have some kind of terms:
Before submitting your editorial comment you must check the box:
"By checking the box I certify that my opinion is valuable, contains an opinion worth sharing, is not overly repetitive, has been edited for content and grammar...."

I believe that most people don't read the terms they're agreeing to with those "check the box" notifications though, so maybe a $.42 stamp would be a better investment to require.

Until that time comes to pass, I'm going to continue to try to keep myself from reading beyond the text of the articles!