No Comment

I'm not sure anyone knew what kind of monster the internet would create when the idea of "comments" was conjured up.  But it is certainly a monster that is being reeled back in at a fast-and-furious rate.

At first, it was kind of "cute" (for lack of better term) to go to certain websites and news stories to see what kinds of comments would be attached at the bottom.  It almost became a game for some, as they tried to come up with more insane and belligerent comments than the next guy.  It was like watching a head-on crash in slow-motion.  But eventually, the line between ridiculous and unacceptable was crossed.  Over and over again.

This has led us to the current situation, where media outlets are re-evaluating how they handle online comments.  Some, like the CBC, have announced that you'll have to sign in and no longer be anonymous.  Others, like the Toronto Star, shut them down altogether.  By no means is this a new phenomenon, as Popular Science did it back in 2013.

The reasoning behind the move is really a no-brainer at the end of the day: it takes up a lot of time and resources to make sure each and every comment is worthy of being on a website.  Rightly or wrongly, each comment made is, in part, a reflection on a media outlet.  A hateful or threatening comment which is kept on a website for an extended period of time will expose an outlet as either being accepting of that behaviour or being lazy for deleting it in the first place.  And as resources continue to be shifted around or chopped down, the priority can't be on babysitting the select few who want to take their liberties on a website.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm all for you having the ability to voice your opinion on a story.  The trouble is very few are actually interested in doing that.  They're more interested in attacking others.  They're not interested in moving the discussion forward or having a healthy dialogue on the topic at hand.  And this mindset has an adverse reaction, as those who are actually interested in commenting on a story don't feel safe enough to post their own thoughts, for fear of being berated, belittled, or worse.  This isn't an exaggeration.  I see it on probably a weekly basis just going through the comments on the radio station's Facebook page (we don't allow comments on our website either).  As I've written on that page, I'm not against debate and disagreement.  What I am against is hate-filled commentary, profanity-laced tirades and threats.

What's even more disturbing about this trend is that those commenters are trying to hide behind the "freedom of speech" argument.  My question to this is simple: when did freedom of speech get to trump basic human decency?  You know the old saying: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.  These are the same people who would never actually say these things face-to-face, but instead get to hide behind anonymous profiles to spew their garbage.  I hate to break it to those people, but that's not exercising "freedom of speech."  That's being a keyboard warrior, thinking you'll never face the ramifications for the things you say online.  What the heck did these people do before the internet?

Don't let this debate get to be about "left vs. right" or any of that typical divisive stuff either.  People of all shapes, sizes, colours and social statures are guilty of it.  It's not the fault of "the media" or anyone else for the closing down of comment sections either.  It was the actions of a faceless few, who seem to have this fascination with being mad at the world all the time.  It must be tough living life like that.  

Then again, life must be tough in mom and dad's basement.

True Confessions: Vacations Are Weird

It's true.

Vacations are weird.  I might be in the minority here, but I know a few reporters who have struggled with the same feeling in the past.  Others get over it quicker than others.

Here's the thing: we're plugging in ALL the time.  Reporting isn't a 9-5 job.  Your brain is always going.  You're always trying to dig up new stories, or make new contacts.  And with the increased expectations thanks to social media, you hardly ever turn your brain off.  So when it comes time to take a week or two off, there's that period of weird inactivity.

I'll admit, the first little bit, you go through a bit of a withdrawal phase.  You don't know what to do with this sudden freedom.  It's like you've become OCD being a reporter, and now you're trying to figure out how to scratch that itch.  But as time moves on, you slowly start to let those feelings go, as long as you have a plan to get out of dodge.

It starts with actually turning OFF your phone.  You have to come to the realization that you're not going to be getting that phone call with a late-breaking news story.  You don't have to check your email or Twitter every ten minutes, making sure you haven't missed anything big.  Twitter is bad that way, as it's forced us into this habit of trying to be first, for fear that if we miss out on something, people will go elsewhere for their news.  Of course they won't, as many (if not all) of your followers will understand you have a life to live as well, and they'll typically be on your side.  But you never know.  And that's the scary part.  At least that's what you tell yourself.

The next step is to actually put a plan in place.  Personally, my vacations are typically quite unorthodox.  I don't need to take off to an island or a beach or somewhere touristy.  Having friends in all corners of Western Canada, I always find it fun to roadtrip.  Maybe it's the way I grew up (don't ask mom and dad about airplanes or oceans hahaha!).  Our vacations were to spots like Medicine Hat or Cranbrook.  All within driving distance, but got us away for a few days (it also didn't hurt the one trek to the 'Hat was to see the Toronto Blue Jays after their '93 World Series win).  I do believe it was those treks that made me realize just how much is in our own backyard, which has fueled my curiousity around ghost towns and grain elevators.

It wasn't until I moved to Calgary for the second time when I had actually stuck around long enough to accumulate some real vacation time.  I didn't even have a passport until 2011.  My first solo flight for a vacation didn't happen until 2014, when I went to Florida to watch some pre-season Blue Jays baseball.  I didn't use it (passport) again until this past week, going to Arizona to watch some other teams play pre-season baseball.

Thanks for everything #PHX! 3 ball games, a hockey game & some relaxation made for an excellent few days off. #MLB #mlbspringtraining #AdventuresOfJoe #Phoenix #yyc

A photo posted by Joe McFarland (@joemcfarlandyyc) on Mar 4, 2016 at 8:14pm PST

Were both trips memorable?  Absolutely.  But I've also found vacations to Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Vancouver Island, Montana and other places just as memorable.  And everyone knows I love myself some simple trips back to the farm as they are, in my books, the best kind of vacations.  Maybe I'm simple, but just getting out of the concrete jungle is enough for me.

It doesn't have to be glamorous.  It doesn't have to be expensive.  But getting the chance to unplug and do something away from the regular grind which has seemingly become a 24-hour operation, is what matters most.

Even if you think vacations are weird.