Imagine you’re in a class, the sole purpose of which is to have The Daily Tar Heel read to you by a professor.
Just humor me.
After every article, editorial, column or letter to the editor, the professor asks the class, “What do you think?”
Most of the time, nothing is said and the professor moves on. But on certain occasions, an unholy frenzy erupts. One of your classmates launches into a rant about liberals. Somebody else accuses that person of being a racist. Inevitably, someone says, “Wow, DTH. If this is what they’re teaching in UNC’s journalism school, I feel bad for y’all.”
Someone else invokes Hitler. Somebody always mentions Hitler.
People are constantly entering and leaving, salesmen are trying to break into the classroom to sell sketchy drugs and the professor has the power to expel anyone with a knack for hurling insults.
Most people in the class just gawk at the handful of terrible people.
But most importantly, nearly everyone is wearing a mask.
When trying to determine why the comments sections of news sites are such vast wastelands, this is the crucial part of the analogy.