4 ms·

Comments on the article's page are even scarier than the article itself.

tomelders 15y ago
I'd like to remind the wider international HN community that Sun readers are not representative of the UK... But I can't, because sadly they are.
RexRollman 15y ago
Personally, after reading comments on news and sports sites in general, I am amazed that any of them even allow commenting. It is amazing how thoughtless some people can be.
- jrmg 15y ago
  I've thought this myself before. My rationalization is that most of the commenters are also regular readers - probably disproportionately regular, as they return to read replies to their comments - and so generate a disproportionately large numbers of page views. The sites are scared to turn them off lest the commenters stop returning, hurting ad revenue. Would be nice to hear from anyone who can confirm or deny this hypothesis.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
netcan 15y ago
some gems: serves them right for putting up stupid comments like that on a public site where the world can see At least the yanks have got it right. If that was here, it would be completly different... they would be welcome even more with a brass band waiting for them at arrivals with hand outs, benefits and housing all sorted for them Perhaps if they spoke or 'tweeted' to each other in proper English........................... Or is it just me getting old? : ) No doubt that Twitter has replaced Facebook as THE medium for proving yourself to be a prime CHUMP.... How are Americans supposed to know that its British Slang. They did the right thing by detaining them as they believed they were a threat. The problem is that since Facebook, Twitter etc, people enter their whole lives on the internet, when 99.999999% of people really dont care. Its acutally good to see that America's Security is high that two ordinary brummies saying something on Twitter was picked up and they were questioned about it. Wish Britain had that kind of security. Twitter/Facebook is not private, its public. Get some common sense people. serves them right, the bloody idiots. what kind of morons post those kinds of statements ? After the amount of people who died on 9/11, of course they are twitchy when it comes to intercepting perceived threats. Terrorist don't come with a big sign on their head! So if a couple of idiots who thought it was funny to 'joke' about destroying someone’s country on a 'public' network lose their holiday that's hard luck, but the US probably feel that, better safe than sorry, is the more important option. Not really for us to preach when we can't even deport those we know to be a threat! This is terrifying. It's like Idiocracy!
- swombat 15y ago
  Well, it is the Sun we're talking about here. It does have a very specific target audience.
  - perfunctory 15y ago
    Very specific? The sun "has ... the largest circulation of any daily newspaper in the United Kingdom" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28United_Kingdom%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28United_Kingdom%29) Looks like the specific audience you are talking about is the majority of the population.
    - swombat 15y ago
      Yes, it is. That's a sad reflection on our civilisation.
      - netcan 15y ago
        This funny little conversation has gone on a few time this thread. Several times with only one person. >>"This is* The Sun we're talking about. It's hardly representative!" > "Hardly representative? More than half of The UK read it."* >"crap"

I'd like to remind the wider international HN community that Sun readers are not representative of the UK... But I can't, because sadly they are.

RexRollman 15y ago

Personally, after reading comments on news and sports sites in general, I am amazed that any of them even allow commenting. It is amazing how thoughtless some people can be.

jrmg 15y ago
I've thought this myself before. My rationalization is that most of the commenters are also regular readers - probably disproportionately regular, as they return to read replies to their comments - and so generate a disproportionately large numbers of page views. The sites are scared to turn them off lest the commenters stop returning, hurting ad revenue. Would be nice to hear from anyone who can confirm or deny this hypothesis.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

netcan 15y ago

some gems: serves them right for putting up stupid comments like that on a public site where the world can see At least the yanks have got it right. If that was here, it would be completly different... they would be welcome even more with a brass band waiting for them at arrivals with hand outs, benefits and housing all sorted for them Perhaps if they spoke or 'tweeted' to each other in proper English........................... Or is it just me getting old? : ) No doubt that Twitter has replaced Facebook as THE medium for proving yourself to be a prime CHUMP.... How are Americans supposed to know that its British Slang. They did the right thing by detaining them as they believed they were a threat. The problem is that since Facebook, Twitter etc, people enter their whole lives on the internet, when 99.999999% of people really dont care. Its acutally good to see that America's Security is high that two ordinary brummies saying something on Twitter was picked up and they were questioned about it. Wish Britain had that kind of security. Twitter/Facebook is not private, its public. Get some common sense people. serves them right, the bloody idiots. what kind of morons post those kinds of statements ? After the amount of people who died on 9/11, of course they are twitchy when it comes to intercepting perceived threats. Terrorist don't come with a big sign on their head! So if a couple of idiots who thought it was funny to 'joke' about destroying someone’s country on a 'public' network lose their holiday that's hard luck, but the US probably feel that, better safe than sorry, is the more important option. Not really for us to preach when we can't even deport those we know to be a threat! This is terrifying. It's like Idiocracy!

swombat 15y ago
Well, it is the Sun we're talking about here. It does have a very specific target audience.
- perfunctory 15y ago
  Very specific? The sun "has ... the largest circulation of any daily newspaper in the United Kingdom" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28United_Kingdom%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28United_Kingdom%29) Looks like the specific audience you are talking about is the majority of the population.
  - swombat 15y ago
    Yes, it is. That's a sad reflection on our civilisation.
    - netcan 15y ago
      This funny little conversation has gone on a few time this thread. Several times with only one person. >>"This is* The Sun we're talking about. It's hardly representative!" > "Hardly representative? More than half of The UK read it."* >"crap"