Like many people, I watch videos on Youtube. Some are comedic, some are vaguely educational, some are a bit random, most are music. What I've noticed is that almost every comment section devolves into some sort of twisted shouting match eventually. It reminds me of the Two Minutes Hate from the novel '1984' except it's more interactive I guess. People get fired up and clash behind their computers not to change each others' minds but because it feels good. It gives a sort of emotional release. But that's not especially relevant to what I'm trying to say here.

There's a song I like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r40tpNUQMC8

I never bothered to read the comments until today and I must say, what I found was unexpected. You can head over to Youtube and check them out for yourself (everything else in this post will make more sense if you do). I'd always thought of the video as creative and an interesting use of money but apparently, it's SUPER offensive to some (mostly Thai) people! I can't relate because in my country we don't have royalty and it's commonplace to show politicians some level of disrespect if the party in power isn't yours ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Scrolling through the comments that weren't in English, the threats (and well-meaning warnings) of possible jail time and the apologies from Thai fans of Darwin Deez, I eventually remembered that I didn't have to keep reading *every single one*. The comment section can seem like a never-ending train-wreck sometimes but if I'm getting lost in the moment watching the carnage unfold, I need better hobbies. 

☮️