I refer to the article: "EX-ST REPORTER BERTHA HENSON: PAP INTERNET BRIGADE ARE BRAVE PEOPLE!"
"How can it be that civil discourse on the Internet is so polarised?" This is a straw mans argument and you are being slightly disingenuous here. After reading your article in its entirety, I suspect that you know it or maybe got carried away with your point /shrug. The internet has ALWAYS been vitriolic, I'm not sure why you are so surprised by it. Take for example the Guardian. One of the most respected newspapers in the world and is one of the most visited news website in the world that is internationally recognized for its high standards of journalism.
A newspaper of such a pedigree and its comments section is still a cesspool of mental ejaculation. Youtube, Blizzard forums, Facebook. They are present everywhere so stop shining a spotlight on the trolls and acting shocked because its happening everywhere in every web community and some communities are FAR worse than what you experience daily over issues much more trivial.
Now back to my point about you making a straw mans argument about civil discourse and the internet being polarised. This is the premise for your entire article which leads to you white knighting the PAP internet brigade.You stood up and wrote about something you believed in. Commendable (Not sarcasm, I actually mean it),You however did not address at all this other point that you brought up which in my mind at least is the real issue. Why is the internet here so polarised? Why are there so many anti-g people posting online? Why is there so much anger? What you wrote about was one of the many symptoms, not the cause.
The best and most well written part of your piece was your closing paragraph. I agree entirely especially the part about ad hominem. Too many people just heap abuse on the other side without actually addressing any of their points or resort to it when they find out they are wrong and rather than admit it, they start making personal attacks. But as I have said, its the internet, if you are expecting reason and civility then holy crap you have come to the wrong place.
Nicholas Ho
*Comment first appeared on http://therealsingapore.com/content/ex-st-reporter-bertha-henson-pap-int...