Why Stupid YouTube Comments Are Older Than the Internet

Given the infinite real estate online, it's relatively easy to avoid people you don't like. The whole point of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr is that you get to customize which pockets of people you touch, allowing you to cull your list of daily interactions until finally you're only left with the people you genuinely enjoy, and everyone gets to live harmoniously within their own little tribes...with one glaring exception: Youtube. Youtube is the single watering hole where we all end up at some point, and naturally, everyone there hates each other. That's not to suggest that core community of creators isn't strong or kind, I mean specifically everyone who is there with the intention of just consuming and occasionally trickling out a misspelled comment in their own urine. In fact, the comments fights are frequently so aggressively inarticulate, I'm sort of impressed that the two sides understand exactly why they're supposed to be angry in the first place.

But I think it can be better. Maybe.

This isn't a call to action or anything. You're all clearly busy anyway, reading our website. I created this PSA specifically for Youtube instead of writing it as a column because, frankly, the Cracked community doesn't really need it. For the most part, everyone here is pretty great. But I hope this acts as a reminder to all who have seen the ugliness firsthand in other comment sections around the Internet, that this is no one's fault. Humanity didn't take a wrong turn somewhere in the past few years and force us to live with these horrible consequences. We've always been this terrible since the beginning of time and knowing that, I hope, brings you some comfort. I know it does for me. So here, from me to you, have this. It's OK if you want to regift it, I won't be angry.

Soren is a Senior Writer for Cracked.com. You can follow him on Twitter or Tumblr.