My Thoughts on Comments

The article that I summarized for the "My Controversy" post doesn't have any comments posted, so I had to find another article on the topic. I found one from the Huffington Post that has plenty of comments.

The more I read about Jared Fogle, the more nauseated and horrified I feel. And many of the other commenters feel the same way that I do.

Credible Comment 1

Screenshot taken by Boone-Roberts, Morgan on 8/28/15 via Huffington Post. 

1. While this is probably the least wordy comment on the page, it's probably the most important, and the most credible. The commenter is plainly stating a fact. There is no statement of opinion, so it is really difficult to argue with what she is saying, although some people unsuccessfully try to.

2. This woman is most likely as upset as I am that no one is calling what Fogle has done "rape". It's always called "sex with minors". People are always hesitant to call anything rape, even when it can't be called anything else. Her no nonsense attitude shows that she is not even remotely wishy-washy on this subject. She knows what she believes and states it very clearly.

3. Alicia doesn't name call and she doesn't make questionable assumptions, which is mostly why I think she is a credible source. She doesn't tell a personal story or claim to have insider knowledge of the situation, she just says what she feels in very concise language.

Credible Comment 2

Screenshot taken by Boone-Roberts, Morgan on 8/28/15 via Huffington Post. 

1. Christopher is expressing his wish to see Fogle charged for all of his crimes, not just for his possession of child pornography (not to minimize how horrible that is, but it's even more disgusting when you add in his raping of multiple young girls).

2. I'm guessing this commenter's background in law (it says that he went to Charlotte School of Law) is influencing his thoughts on this controversy. From his desire to see Fogle prosecuted fully, I would make the assumption that he is a prosecutor and not a defense attorney as he shows no sympathy towards Fogle. 

3. He is stating his opinion, but in a well written, coherent way. His disgust is apparent, but it isn't the driving force behind his comment; instead, his argument is logically laid out. Also, his background in law gives him at least some credibility. 

Unreasonable Comment 1

Screenshot taken by Boone-Roberts, Morgan on 8/28/15 via Huffington Post. 

1. I'm struggling to find how to tactfully explain how offensive I find this comment. This man is so far off base in so many ways. His comment shows a complete lack of understanding, and frankly, he's just trying to be rude and offensive. 

2. This man is most likely homophobic, as evidenced by him comparing a rapist to someone who is gay. He is also conservative. Saying that liberals as a whole will excuse rape is so incorrect, and has no basis in fact. 

3. Besides the glaring spelling error, this man does manage to write a readable sentence. But the positives stop there. I'm choosing to believe that Keith is just trying to offend people and start an argument. It's almost too scary to think that he might actually believe that what he's saying is true. Again, comparing homosexuality, which isn't a choice, to pedophilia, which absolutely is, completely eliminates the possibility of anyone taking this man's opinion seriously.

Unreasonable Comment 2

Screenshot taken by Boone-Roberts, Morgan on 8/28/15 via Huffington Post. 

1. As much as my first unreasonable comment jumped to ridiculous conclusions, so does this one. Anyone who assumes someone else's political affiliation based off of their actions is just showing prejudice. Contrary to what Polly believes, not every Republican is a bad person. 

2. I think I'd be safe in assuming that Polly is a Democrat. I understand that everyone believes that their own party is in the right and most of what the other party believes is wrong, but that cannot be applied to every situation. 

3. Nowhere in the article does it mention Fogle's political party. The article has nothing to do with politics. I'm having a hard time understanding why this commenter felt the need to bring politics into this discussion, besides to display her prejudices. Instead of expressing her horror about the topic, she automatically wants to blame Fogle's sick behavior on him being a Republican. (I searched for about 15 minutes, and couldn't find anything about his political affiliations.)


Reflection:

Brandon found comments that pertain to the Cecil the Lion controversy. He clearly laid out exactly why each comment either was or was not credible, and provided ample commentary on how he determined the credibility.

Mehruba's comments come from an article about the "Death with Dignity Act". Her credible comments both come from heartbreaking personal stories, which are often the most credible sources because not many people (besides maybe other family members) can refute what they are saying.