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Under every video on YouTube or Break, and under every story on Digg or even right here on Cracked, there is a mini-culture that forms down in the comment section. The hit-and-run nature of the comments means it's fertile ground for some really annoying personalities to thrive. These are the eight commenter personality types you'd most like to avoid, but can't because they're freaking everywhere. #8.
The Non-Believer
Typical Comment "FAKE! Did you see how that guy exploded just BEFORE he hit the tree. Fake, don't waste my time." Who Are They? They like to think of themselves as the jaded skeptic in a world full of gullible sheeple, determined to be a flickering light of truth in a dark internet full of lies and fake viral videos. "No one could really fart on a birthday cake that way!" Why We Hate Them: The guys we're talking about here are the knee-jerk skeptics, the ones who take it too far. They have an automatic reaction to call "fake" on pretty much any video that shows anything remotely remarkable happening. They're not doing it in some grand quest for truth, they just want to feel smarter than the room and generally suck all of the wonder out of the world. This is the internet, if we want to believe some dudes can catch sunglasses on their face like that, who are they to take that from us, dammit! Actual Examples:
#7.
The Macho Man
Typical Comment: "Holy shit!!!!!! That was fukin awsome! but IF that guy did that to me id kill him fuk" Who Are They? We think this guy is the same 'roid-monkey, blond-haired, fake tan, lip-pouting douche bag who made your high school life hell. He is the same guy who would have called you "dweeb" if you lived in a 1980's teen movie, but it is more likely that he called you "fucker" and pooped on your porch after egging your house. Why We Hate Them: This guy shows up commenting on any video or news story that involves a fist fight or confrontation. He's quick to remind us of what a badass he is in the real world, and is quick to make physical threats ("You want to come to Jersey and say that to my face??!?!?!").
After spending his formative years settling disputes on high school football fields, he's desperate to be the same kind of bully online he is in the real world. But he's found himself in a strange realm where huge biceps don't seem to count for anything, and is having a tough time making the adjustment. No, you can't punch people over an internet connection, Macho Man. We've tried it. Actual Examples:
#6.
The Great Defender
Typical Comment: "I'd like to see you do any better. What have you ever done with your life? Stop judging people and let everyone be who they want to be because, in the end, isn't that what life is all about?" (NOTE: This comment is usually followed by someone replying with a shatteringly eloquent: FAG!) Who Are They? The Great Defender sees himself or herself as a moral crusader, like a cross between Batman and Jesus. In reality they are more like a cross between Jeremy Piven and that annoying girl who always feels the need to inject herself into every conversation, at least long enough to let you know she holds the moral high ground.
Why We Hate Them: Much like the Non-Believer up there, it's the knee-jerk nature of the Great Defender that's so annoying. You can have a YouTube video of a group of neo-Nazis shooting puppies out of a cannon, and the Great Defender will jump in with, "Wow you have to wonder what kind of trauma these guys had growing up that caused them to be so misguided. Some of you are so quick to judge." That, or they may chime in with the much more annoying, "There are millions of starving children in the world, and you guys are getting worked up over some puppies?" That seems to be the Great Defender's favorite weapon, which works on the premise that we're not allowed to get mad at anything as long as something worse is going on elsewhere. You know what? If we want to be outraged, let us. That's why we watch those videos, it makes us feel better about ourselves. Sure, we may have stolen some movies off Bittorrent, but at least we didn't fire puppies out of a cannon while we were doing it. Actual Examples:
#5.
Mr. Science
Typical Comment: "I think you'll find that when you mix pure Hydrogen with Oxygen you don't produce water (2H2O) as would be expected, you, in fact, create an explosion. So it is perfectly normal that this video shows an explosion during the attempted grafting of Helium (He) and Sodium (Na)." Who Are They? This guy knows everything about the laws that govern the known universe, even the stuff science hasn't figured out yet. He has an education, works in a lab (or claims to) and has devoted his extraordinary gifts to telling strangers on the internet that they are wrong. Why We Hate Them: This guy is the brainiac version of the Macho Man. His goal is not to inform others, but just to make it clear that he knows way, way more than them. This is the guy who stops an entire game of poker because you didn't "burn" the top card before the river." There's of course a reason this guy is hanging out on YouTube instead of some forum full of other professionals. He gets off on being right so much that he actively seeks out the company of people who are chronically wrong. He seems to be wholly unaware that showing up in the comments section under some retarded YouTube video is about as impressive as challenging a room full of kindergartners to a fight. Winning is almost as bad as losing. Actual Examples:
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Damn, just realized someone already pointed out the epithet/epitaph problem. Apparently I'm not the only genius here.
I think you mean epithet not epitaph in the above article. Get it, I'm being an obnoxious internet commenter in an article about obnoxious internet commenters....seriously though epitaph means a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person. With that said, fantastic article. As always, job well done.
A worthy addition to this list is the Grammar Nazi, the charming and welcome voice in any forum who lives to remind people that "PhDs" does not contain an apostrophe, "your" is the correct way of indicating possession and nothing else, and that they're a snivelling nitpicker who probably writes condescending letters to the editor of their local newspaper every time they print a typo after pointing it out to everyone they know, thereby displaying their awesome superiority to low-paid copy editors. Everyone is good at something: booger-flicking accuracy > expert pubic lice removal > syphilitic c**k-receiving ability > mastery of pedantic rules of English grammar.
There needs to be someone in between Mr. Science and the Ninja who, in the midst of a argument between two Political Activists, simply replies to one of the comments with a spelling correction, and then never says a single other comment in that particular debates. I f*****g love those guys.
This article is a f*g.
-Ninja
The word should be "epithets" and not "epitaphs." Got a kick out of that. XD
Hilarious rundown, by the way! There is possibly no more idiotic or contentious place to hang out than a YouTube comments section.
The Great Defender sounds like a rad movie Title, probably the main character is a ninja fighting Hitler's apprentice. and in the middle he meets a political activist whom then seek out a scientist to create a formula that will stop the bot army from sending spyware and Trojan Horses all over the world. I'd give it 2 stars.
Usually The Hitler's Apprentice is just a troll. Usually when he sees nobody pays any attention to him he moves onto more promising boards or comes back with a new gimmick.
wow this article was frighteningly accurate! im relatively new to the whole "online community" thing( only had a youtube account for a few mo.) but i gotta tell you #2 nearly made me piss my pants! just the other day i was watching a Tex Avery cartoon about a talking wolf and hungry lamb where the comments somehow delved into a political slugfest!
@ferdob- I was going to mention the same thing. Do these Nazis get manuals on shi**y facts and statistics so they can try to influence the weak (IF there are any weaker than them). Do you remember the Hitler baby story? Those comment threads were PRIME real estate for 'those' commenters. Anyhoo, I'm a human- not a bot- but I don't spend my whole day promoting my site- just half of it :). Check it out! www.makefunofmyfriends.com
that's so insensitive.
"noone is clearly somebody trying to be annoying in every possible way he can."
...Holy crap, did I actually say that?!? *sweatdrop* I THINK I did... but I'm not sure.
I'm probably most like number 6, but some people are such obnoxious assholes when they're complaining about someone or something that I feel I must argue in the opposite direction. But I don' think I've ever mentioned starving children in one of my rants.
Why aren't the chain spammers mentioned?
your a f*g
8==> {}
JESUS LOVES U!!! And all commenter types!!! Everyone is the SAME to the Lord!!! Visit www.christianyouthweb.com !!!
There needs to be an additional category for the "firsters".
Hate the online racists. And theyre all retarded so if you even try to reason with them youll be met with a hail storm of racial slur and "facts"
"the irish wud still be living in mud huts and eating turf if it wasnt for the British" Yea thats what someone with a PhD in history will tell you.
Wait.
no...
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"See the below comment section for more examples."
my favorite part of the article xD