5 'Internet Problems' That Existed Way Before The Internet

5

Nazis Flipping Out Over Comic Books

Marvel Comics writer Nick Spencer recently received a barrage of tweets with messages like "kill yourself" after revealing that Captain America was totally for real a Nazi. (UNNECESSARY SPOILER: He's not.)

Surely, this is a uniquely internet problem. Eighty years ago, people had better things to do than threaten somebody over comic book depictions of fascism. But of course they didn't. The details change, but the trend remains the same.

Marvel ComicsCap is a Buster Keaton fan, apparently.

Captain America Comics #1 was published in March of 1941, back when bashing Nazis was, believe it or not, a pretty controversial subject matter. Since the U.S. wasn't involved in World War II at that point, a lot of people were very upset when they saw the literal captain of America punching the leader of Germany. Some were "America Firsters" who thought the U.S. should stay out of whatever was going on in Europe, and some were plain ol' Nazis who liked what this Hitler guy was about. Soon, the Timely Comics (later renamed Marvel) offices were "inundated" with angry letters and phone calls, a common theme of which was "death to the Jews."

Then Nazis started dropping by the building. New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia had to get involved and personally offer police protection to the Timely staff. Not that all of them needed it. Jack Kirby once answered a call from self-described "real Nazis" who dared him to come down to the lobby for an ass-kicking. Kirby said he'd be right there, but by the time he arrived, the Real Nazis had vanished. Considering that Kirby went on to kill some Nazis in the war, maybe that was a good call on their part.

4

A U.S. President Winning An Election Thanks To "Fake News"

There's good reason to believe that during a presidential election, the Republican candidate's camp colluded with a third party to spread vile propaganda and fake news articles about his opponent. We are, of course, referring to the 1800 election between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

WikipediaThough to be fair, the Republican candidate was also the Democratic candidate back then.

3

People Sending Total Strangers Anonymous Hate Messages

From the 1840s to the 1940s, both the U.S. and the UK favored "Vinegar Valentines" -- basically Valentine's Day cards for psychopaths. They were the equivalent of today's anonymous troll messages, except they took a lot more effort. For starters, you had to leave the house, buy a Vinegar Valentine at a boutique, and mail it to someone you hate, friends you only sort of hate, or strangers you might hate in the future. This wasn't a minor fad with a few dozen people taking part. In the 1850s they represented 50 percent of all Valentine's card sales in the U.S. Waking up on February 14th, you had a 50/50 shot between a love missive and a light hate crime.

The cards ranged from mild old-timey insults, like saying your wife has you whipped ...

Smithsonian Magazine"Plus she's cheating on you with Chuck / You worthless beta cuck"

2

Fans Raging Before The Thing Is Even Out

Think critics who condemn a movie based on the trailers are being too harsh? The actors in Alfred Jarry's 1896 play Ubu Roi got ONE WORD in before the crowd erupted into fights. That word was "merdre," which is French for "shit!" but with an extra "R" added. Whether it was the vulgarity or the intentional mispronunciation, that single word threw the crowd into a frenzy that lasted for 15 minutes.

Alfred JarryThe merdre hit the fan.

1

Jerkwad "Intellectuals" Who Are Really Just Trolls

Diogenes the Cynic's philosophy of, uh ... Cynicism, rejected society as regressive, and claimed that enlightenment could only be attained when one was free of social constructs. A fine idea to argue in theory. In practice, it meant Diogenes wandering around Greece, urinating on people who annoyed him, defecating in the theater, and masturbating in public. Today, living a "simple life" means not owning a TV and never shutting up about it, but Diogenes was essentially a crazy homeless guy with a title. He ate and drank whatever he could find lying around, and his "house" was a clay jar outside a temple.

Jean-Leon GeromeThose dogs are like, "Look at Mr. Fancypants over here, with his own jar."