More reasons why people totally suck.

Anyone who has spent even a modest amount of time on blogs and web forums knows that the anonymity offered by the medium is a dangerous thing, making people think it's okay to write the most offensive, appalling things to and about total strangers that they would never in a million years say out loud. It's an exposure of a person's true colors. How do you act when no one's looking? What do you do when no one knows it's you?

There's a post from a couple of days ago up on Jalopnik about the singers in the Toyota Avalon display at the Chicago Auto Show. The post itself isn't nice but that's not my complaint - they poke fun at the performance and the marketing ideas behind it, but nothing terrible, and nothing worse than what they (and I, for that matter) wrote about the Chevy Volt dancers. But the comments? Oh, the comments. The comments are a different story.

And the comments are REALLY PISSING ME OFF.

Let me share some of the worst ones:

"u should see the guy at the Sienna mini van display.. he had to be on crack.. worst actor every.. over did everything.. I wanted to punch him in the face."

"Were any singers run over during the filming of this performance?"

"This is Hitlerriffic."

"I was hoping the car would unintendedly accelerate over them."

"Ah yeah the Avalon is gay and not sophisticated, eat shit Avalon! Punch in the Face to all of these people! POW!"

If you're playing along at home, that is two threats to punch the Toyota crew members in the face, two wishes of death, a comparison to the most heinous crime against humanity in history and a gay slur. Over a song.

People actually raise their children in a manner that shapes them to grow up thinking it is perfectly acceptable to say things like this. I don't care if you don't like the song. I don't care if you don't like the car. I don't give a flying fcuk if your daddy who drove a Toyota didn't hug you enough so you now hate the Avalon by association. You are an absolute terrible person and a waste of space on this green earth if you say anything remotely resembling these comments in response to something as innocuous as an innocent musical number at an auto show.

And before you ask or even wonder, no I am not one of the singers. I'm so pissed because these are threats of violence and homophobic slurs. I'm so upset because this is beyond having fun by poking fun. I'm so upset because these people work too damn hard under the most trying of conditions (can you imagine what they've dealt with during the recall media frenzy?) to have to deal with this sh!t from losers living in their mother's basements. We all do.

People just plain suck sometimes.

DYCWTC featured on Jalopnik!

Lots of new readers today from my feature on Jalopnik! Welcome! If you haven't read it yet, you can check it out here.

There's some great sociological debates going on in the comments section. The amount of men who seem to think it's okay to be shitty to a woman because she's wearing a short skirt is truly shocking. (For the record I wear a business suit yet still had someone grab my ass today, not that it should make a difference.)

I love the comments that I'm a fake. Guys, you can't make this stuff up. This blog is just at the beginning and there are some wild stories to be told. Someone who has never worked in this field could never come up with these things, trust me.

I would just like to reiterate that MOST auto show visitors are lovely. They are respectful, friendly and help make this job a wonderful experience. The ones that aren't are indicative of a bigger societal issue. They aren't just pervy at the auto show, they obviously carry that perviness around constantly and let it out as they feel the situation warrants. They aren't just rude at the auto show, they are rude to everyone they come across whom they feel are somehow lesser than they. They aren't just bad parents at the auto show, they always let their children run around unsupervised in crowds large and small. This is merely my small attempt to call them out on that behavior (male and female offenders) and spark a discussion on  why we as a society allow them to get away with it.

Much more to come. I do hope you'll keep reading!