This morning Moe Lane of Obsidian Wings wrote a post called Not a real concern. Yet.. You might want to read it but this post is not about that post. It’s about the comments thread that followed. The most I’ll say about the actual post is that it seemed to me to be pretty temperate and commonsensical.
The following is a play-by-play of the comments.
The first comment underscored the original post. The second comment further underscored the original post and the author of the comment indicated that the concerns were something that he had been feeling for some time.
And then all hell broke loose.
The commenter accuses Moe of doing something that he had explicitly not done. The very next comment had apparently been entered before the accusation had been made.
The comment after that leaps to Moe’s defense (reasonably). The next comment is the first plea for comity.
Several mild supportive comments.
The accuser restates his accusation.
hilzoy produces several links that shows that there’s quite a bit of what Moe is complaining about going on and that it’s not limited to attacks on Republican offices.
Several generally supportive comments.
hilzoy addresses the accuser and makes the second plea for comity.
More accusations, more general and some against politicians and media figures.
Accuser raises the ante again.
The next several comments attempt to moderate the discussion.
Another accuser, this time accusing Moe of conspiracy.
An attempt to broaden the discussion to a more general discussion of hate crimes.
Another defense (by the original defender) of Moe.
Complaint that accuser #2 is violating the posting rules.
Motion seconded.
New (possibly incendiary) claim.
Original defender defends accuser #2. Makes a plea for less controversial material.
Defense and counter-claim against new claim.
New, very general accusation.
Support for Moe and request for sympathy.
New general claim.
Rejection of counter-claim.
Concurrence with request for sympathy and plea for comity #3.
Original accuser decries plea for comity #3.
Thanks for concurrence with request for sympathy and general statement that
we’ve all got our problems.
Attack on the notion that we’ve all got our problems.
Accuser #2 contrasts them and us. Us is a cri de coeur. Them is an evil conspiracy.
Counter claim.
Accusation of treason.
Accusations back and forth.
Counter-accusation of treason.
Moe complains about being attacked.
Argument in refutation of the treason claim.
A few attempts at perspective.
Ante raised again.
Vague attempts at explication and apology.
My comment thanking hilzoy for her links (that gave needed balance to the post).
More attempts at perspective.
Ante raised again with general accusation.
Counter accusation.
Counter-counter accusation.
Claim of favoritism.
More complaints about posting rules and complaints about complaints.
Edward reads the riot act.
Attempts at humor.
Defense of most recent general accusation.
Claim that the whole thing is an overreaction.
Very strong counter-attack on defense of general accusation.
More appeals for comity, mild counter-attacks.
Criticism of posting rules, defense of posting rules, thanks for defense.
Re-statement of defense of general accusation.
Complaints, straw-men, and rhetorical questions.
Several attempts to change the subject. The thread looks like it’s offically hijacked.
And it never gets on track again.
Time from start of thread to derailment: 1:22
My assessment is that once the first accusation was made without being challenged under the posting rules the thread was doomed.
