What is the worst thing on the world wide web?

[Creole Ned]

What is the worst thing on the world wide web? I submit to you that it is this:

Anonymous comment sections.

See:

- any news site that allows comments on stories
- YouTube video comment threads
- any popular blog that allows comments without a login
- etc.

It is never a question of "Will there be stupid comments?" but rather "How exponentially stupid will the comments be?" as the lunatic fringe and functional illiterates come out to play. I usually check the CBC news website (http://www.cbc.ca/news/) to get my daily look at what's up in the Great White North and sometimes I foolishly check the reader comments and even the feel-good news story of the year will leave me depressed as I lament how utterly devoid of intelligent thought some people are. It makes me wonder what the purpose of having comments even is. Maybe they should require a login with a Canadian history test you have to pass first. At least then we'd get people who know how to use Google posting.

[Tai]

Ah, the unwashed masses, how I adore them.

[Circuit]

Even if they require a login, they're still mostly awful. Look at any review on a gaming site like 1up or IGN and read the "reader reviews" below the articles. They're not reviews at all and are ususally either a critique of the author of the article, a pointless flame war about whichever platform the game's on or comments about how the site gave Game A a worse review than this one but there's no way this game is in any way superior to that one you're so stupid noob lol.

Adam Sessler from G4 had a pretty great rant (http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/692992/Sesslers-Soapbox-Killzone-Mailbag.html) about anonymous idiot forum-goers a while back.

[Kermit]

Any comment on Digg that's more that about 2 minutes old.

[pogozorro]

I'm going to have to go with a tie between Goatse.cx and tubgirl (and anything else of their ilk). Stupid comments have redeemable value...somewhere...to someone.

About the only thing you can get from the aforementioned pair is the slight feeling of satisfaction when you get someone else with them; that is until you realize that you still saw them first and you can never go back.

[Circuit]

Yeah, except even those images have a redeemable value to someone. And we should use them to help identify these people so they can be properly locked away from the rest of society.

[Kermit]

Nobody is worthless. They can always be used as an example.

[Tai]

Or a club.