“Jump In And Blow Your Brains Out”

July 24, 2008 / 11:06 am • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon moderating comments. I criticized Obama and wondered at his propaganda usage, location, and methods and that brought the rain of hate. But there was one comment that I loved the most just for sheer creativity. I mean, “die bitch” is pretty boring. This one has some flair and the respect goes to Charles Giacometti of Cosmo39@hotmail.com :

Truly, do your fellow Americans a favor and just blow your freaking brains out. Don’t leave us with the burden of caring for you.

In fact, make it neat. Dig your grave first, with all the dirt right there, and a shovel. Then jump in and blow your brains out.

Oh, and leave a few bucks for the poor slob who has to throw the dirt on you.

As a side note about comments: You might want to reread the commenting policy here. Here’s part of it:

Privacy: I will not publish your email address or share your information with third parties except in the following circumstances: you’re an abusive a-hole in which case all bets are off or my site administrator or one of his agents needs to work on the site. Otherwise, the information you disclose when you register is between you and me.

I think Mr. Giacometti’s comments qualify as “all bets are off”.

Mr. Giacometti also described Glenn Reynolds this way:

Well, Mother Jones just learned what yahoos Instarube’s readers are. That’s what you get when you don’t research a clown like this in advance. You could have easily discovered he is a petty, one note partisan hack who routinely (and approvingly) links to some of the most lunatic, racist, ill-informed commentary out there.

And he’s harassed Megan McCardle, too. Where he took umbrage at the idea that someone would publish his personal information. Here’s how Megan handled it:

Indeed, I hope that none of you called this fellow, or in any other way bothered him. I do not encourage offline harassing of web commenters, whatever the provocation. This is one of the reasons that I welcome commenters who use handles; on this blog, it’s the content of the comments that is important. The proper punishment for trolls is the silent derision of anyone who reads them, and of course, the fact that they are the kind of people who become internet trolls. If you did call this fellow before I took down his name and number, I would appreciate an anonymous tip off on this thread so that I can contact him and apologize for the inconvenience.

Please do not stalk the trolls. Also, do not talk to them. This seems like as good a time as any to remind readers that your attention–no matter how richly provoked you feel–merely encourages them to further heights. Your tears of just rage are sweet, sweet nectar to comment trolls. Presumably, they engage in this behavior because they feel that no one listens to them. Only you can help make this a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Mr. Giacometti took umbrage of the idea of his personal information being on the web. Well, I take umbrage at creative ways to kill me. Call me sensitive.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

  • W.B. Reeves

    Giacometti behaved like a Jackass. Agreed.

    However, attempting to make him emblematic of your critics is an exercise in intellectual dishonesty and diversion completely on par with your ludicrous Obama/Hitler comparison.

  • http://melissaclouthier.com Dr. Melissa Clouthier

    W.B. Reeves,

    I posted many substantive arguments who disagreed with me, yours being one. I deleted over 30 personal attacks, Giacometti’s being the most creative.

    A good portion of the “Give Peace A Chance” crowd goes straight for death ideation and character assassination. Note, I did not say all. But in this case, probably 1/3 to 1/2 of the comments were along Giacometti’s line of “reasoning”.

  • Glynn W.

    Give em hell, Melissa!

    You should not have death threats just because you make silly, absurd, and uninformed postings. It is your right, your DUTY to post such nonsense as a proud defender of the crazies. This is your site, for God’s sake!

    You go right ahead and be as loony as you want to be – and never mind the haters.

    Hey Wackos — leave this woman be!

    gw

  • W.B. Reeves

    Dr. Clothier, I’ve recieved my own share of nasty missives, including actual death threats, for voicing my opinions so I sympathize on that score.

    However, by your own admission these represent a minority, though a sizable one, of the comments you received. The number that you published is such a miniscule sample that they can’t credibly be described as representative of anything other than the views of the posters. Yet you use this subset of a micro set to label all Liberals as haters.

    If you can’t see for yourself what is wrong with this line of argument I don’t imagine that there is anything I could say that would persuade you.

  • StanW

    By W.B. Reeves on Jul 24, 2008

    However, by your own admission these represent a minority, though a sizable one, of the comments you received. The number that you published is such a miniscule sample that they can’t credibly be described as representative of anything other than the views of the posters. Yet you use this subset of a micro set to label all Liberals as haters.

    I wonder, W.B., how do you feel about the polls leftist site all the time, telling us of this approval rating or that opinion for the entire nation, based upon the opinions of no more that a thousand or so people (chosen COMPLETELY at random of course)?

  • W.B. Reeves

    I wonder, W.B., how do you feel about the polls leftist site all the time, telling us of this approval rating or that opinion for the entire nation, based upon the opinions of no more that a thousand or so people (chosen COMPLETELY at random of course)?

    If you are talking about online polls conducted by the sites in question, generalizing any such results to the population as a whole is an obvious absurdity. If you are talking about such sites referring to the results of independent pollsters, you are comparing apples to oranges.

    Hope that clarifies things.

  • Ken

    Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon moderating comments. I criticized Obama and wondered at his propaganda usage, location, and methods and that brought the rain of hate.

    No surprise, Doc. You ueered Blasphemy against their God, and are thus obviously an Infidel.

    And their notion of What Should Be Done With Infidels and Blasphemers matches that of the Taliban.