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Last update - 13:11 17/05/2007
Talkbacks are for cowardly bigots
By Bradley Burston


It may be nothing more than human nature, that takes a blessing and processes it into a curse. Or maybe it's technology.

Take the talkback feature. We had great hopes for it. We believed that it would offer readers a chance to respond to the news and the columns published in this newspaper and on this Website, that they would feel encouraged to express opinions, exchange views, engage in rational debate and perhaps forge bonds of understanding based on mutual respect and an openness to the thoughts of others.

What we discovered, was the propensity of respondents to curse each other, denigrate each other, dismiss, excoriate, and sling mud in terms that would make a bathroom wall blush.

To be sure, there was a perverse silver lining in the fact that the bald racism, the vulgarities, the pettiness, and the extraordinary torrents of venom, came from both left and right, from the pro-Palestinian camp no less and no more than from the pro-Israeli.

There will be those who argue that these lines are ingenuous at best and flagrantly hypocritical at worst, and they'll have a point. Talkbacks are good for business. They engage readers. In the language of the business manager, they generate traffic.

But they also repel. They repel the serious reader, the sincere reader, the person who is open and interested and curious and sane. These, the readers who should be most attracted to the feature, who have the most to contribute, are the most likely to be disgusted.

And they don't even see the talkbacks we reject as unacceptable.

Lest the reader conclude that the intent of this piece is to get back at those - and they are very many - who hate the way I write, who hate the way I think, who think that I am sleaze, I can assure you that I welcome those comments. They, in particular, are good for business. As far as I am concerned, the more of these the better.

They increase traffic without racial slurs against entire groups, or accusations of mental illness or drug abuse against fellow respondents.

Some of these, the personal attacks against the author, have a certain flair. Witness the talkback response in which a man suggested "Burston's mother should have kept the placenta and thrown away the baby." Or the woman who then replied: "She did."

My problem is not personal. My problem is with the respondent who explicitly reduces everyone on the other side to vermin, to Nazis, to feces, to animals, to pestilence, to a subject for eradication, expulsion, sterilization, eugenics of even more aggressive forms.

It is time to rethink the talkback. This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with accepting the principle that human beings of other opinions and other origins are no less human, no less deserving of respect, creatures of the same God.

Until these principles are more widely observed, the talkback will continue to be what it is, a sounding board for the cowardly bigot, the armchair bully, the self-adoring activist who makes the world a worse place in which to live, never actually confronting an adversary face to face, never actually even venturing out the door.

_______________


Recent blogs:

Israel's worst blunders since '67 - and the Arabs'
The Arabs will never forgive us
Confessions of an anti-German racist
Israel - Love it or leave it

__________________


The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians
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  1.   Better than some! 13:43  |  English Resident 17/05/07
  2.   Wow 13:55  |  ERSB 17/05/07
  3.   Sure understand the frustration over hate filled posts 14:25  |  newageblues 17/05/07
  4.   Talkbacks: better than throwing rocks 14:37  |  Shoshana 17/05/07
  5.   talkbacks 14:45  |  samuel 17/05/07
  6.   I HAVE A CHOICE, and a voice 14:46  |  VIPER 17/05/07
  7.   Dear B.B. 14:54  |  albert paul ortiz 17/05/07
  8.   Stalemate reheasing the arguments can only be done so many times 14:57  |  Kim 17/05/07
  9.   To Bradley 15:00  |  S 17/05/07
  10.   Bradley: I differ with you 15:01  |  Psalm 17/05/07
  11.   Talkbacks are essential for free speech 16:19  |  Marc 17/05/07
  12.   Someone please set up a chair for Brad at `Cheers` 16:29  |  Jacob Blues 17/05/07
  13.   I understand real well 16:39  |  leah 17/05/07
  14.   Haaretz`s own articles to blame 16:49  |  Gili 17/05/07
  15.   Does This Include Haaretz Writers & Editorials? 16:57  |  Tony Anthony 17/05/07
  16.   Reap what we sow: dumbed down people 17:10  |  Joe Sittizen 17/05/07
  17.   Why not publish those posts that 17:23  |  Johanes Franzen 17/05/07
  18.   Talback is worthwhile 17:26  |  steve 17/05/07
  19.   Education 17:41  |  Anonymous 17/05/07
  20.   Not only here in Haaretz 17:48  |  CanaDave 17/05/07
  21.   Bradley`s right: curse of tech age 18:18  |  Prophet Barabus 17/05/07
  22.   go to a mailbag 18:24  |  Susan 17/05/07
  23.   Actually Tony, Amira Hass is doing her job 18:40  |  Jacob Blues 17/05/07
  24.   Haaretz providing forum for anti-Semites 19:11  |  David 17/05/07
  25.   Talkbacks 19:12  |  ODP 17/05/07
  26.   Talkback 19:19  |  Edifice 17/05/07
  27.   Welcome to the Real World 19:20  |  Kindred 17/05/07
  28.   Take heart, Bradley... 19:24  |  Michael Steiner 17/05/07
  29.   Some creatures of the same G`D have no soul 19:38  |  Joseph E . 17/05/07
  30.   Bradely a touch disingenuous? 19:40  |  FOX 17/05/07
  31.   Interesting article 19:47  |  Chris Linthwaite 17/05/07
  32.   Hug for Brad, I guess he told us. 19:48  |  And he`s right 17/05/07
  33.   Everyone Has An Opinion... 19:50  |  Yaela Katz 17/05/07
  34.   talkbacks 19:51  |  Israel Zwick 17/05/07
  35.   No talbacks means only the author can be a bigot 19:58  |  Ilan 17/05/07
  36.   Johannes #17 is back! 19:59  |  FOX 17/05/07
  37.   Talk-back Needs More Supervision 20:04  |  Jane 17/05/07
  38.   Letters to the Editor 21:02  |  Matthew A. Sawtell 17/05/07
  39.   You question why people are ugly when they are anonymous?? 21:03  |  Dror 17/05/07
  40.   Let`s all give our full name and coordenates. 21:12  |  Roberto Feldmann 17/05/07
  41.   Approaching Irrelevance 21:13  |  C McCoy 17/05/07
  42.   Does Haaretz have the courage? 21:13  |  Dror 17/05/07
  43.   #33`s got it about right. 21:19  |  Jason_M 17/05/07
  44.   # 9--S I wonder who this person is.... 21:46  |  Kath` 17/05/07
  45.   Mr. Burston 21:59  |  tarfon 17/05/07
  46.   # 17 Johanes Franzen. SO,YOU ARE BACK.BUT! 21:59  |  Kath` 17/05/07
  47.   # 36 FOX. WORRY NOT BECAUSE... 22:17  |  Kath` 17/05/07
  48.   Why talkbacks are good 22:19  |  David Howard 17/05/07
  49.   Why talkbacks are bad 22:22  |  David Howard 17/05/07
  50.   # 25 ODP. Talkbacks. TRUE IN WHAT YOU SAY,AND WILL ADD.. 22:39  |  Kath` 17/05/07
  51.   Not Everyone thinks like you Brad! 22:44  |  An Arab Neighbor 17/05/07
  52.   Respond: Talkbacks are for cowardly bitots. 22:45  |  M.Boisvert 17/05/07
  53.   talkback 22:47  |  stephen 17/05/07
  54.   It is not an all or none proposition 22:49  |  Michael N 17/05/07
  55.   Then why publish it? 23:16  |  Phillies Wright 17/05/07
  56.   Jacob Blues 23:32  |  Connie 17/05/07
  57.   talkbacks 23:57  |  sweis Melbourne 17/05/07
  58.   # 54 Michael N.Propositions and "Vetting" ......... 00:08  |  Kath` 18/05/07
  59.   # 52 Monsiure Boisvert.Response.Talkbacks are cowardly... 00:21  |  Kath` 18/05/07
  60.   Haaretz talkbacks - the greatest soap opera 00:23  |  dana 18/05/07
  61.   # 41 C McCoy. I don`t know about the Canadian television... 00:35  |  Kath` 18/05/07
  62.   Talkback 00:39  |  Johnnymac 18/05/07
  63.   #30: FOX nominated for best post 00:45  |  Bill 18/05/07
  64.   # 60 dana.WOW! HEDGING YOUR BETS EH? 00:57  |  Kath` 18/05/07
  65.   # 52 Boisvert: Truly Uninformed... 01:56  |  Psalm 18/05/07
  66.   Kath #58 02:24  |  Michael N 18/05/07
  67.   Aw shucks! 03:48  |  scared palestinian 18/05/07
  68.   Hate-filled posts are informative 04:02  |  Rachele 18/05/07
  69.   keep going 04:21  |  Ibrahim 18/05/07
  70.   Sorry Connie, but anyone who denigrates the widows of 9.11 05:17  |  Jacob Blues 18/05/07
  71.   Talkbacks 05:36  |  Dani 18/05/07
  72.   talkbackers 06:42  |  izaak 18/05/07
  73.   TB rules should be ABOLISHED 06:44  |  sk 18/05/07
  74.   This is a Lame discussion board, compared 06:55  |  Scott Hunter 18/05/07
  75.   Come now, think about it! 07:38  |  Denton 18/05/07
  76.   Make it better! 07:53  |  Omran 18/05/07
  77.   Here Here 08:01  |  Eli Wapniarski 18/05/07
  78.   #44 Kath 08:32  |  S 18/05/07
  79.   I TAKE THAT AS AN `INSULT` FROM ONE IN A PRIVELEDGED POSITION! 08:34  |  Rob Hill 18/05/07
  80.   talkback should end 08:46  |  Dov 18/05/07
  81.   Too pessimistic! 09:23