GOP Convention's Live YouTube Chat Made Me Feel Like I Was Dying

If it's been too long since you've felt that old familiar icy lance of fear in your gut, you should head over to the official Republican National Convention's live stream of the proceedings in Cleveland on YouTube sponsored by Turd Sandwich, and check out the Live Chat.

Here is a sample of what you will find there:

A few questions. First, why is the chat enabled? Second, how long until someone at the RNC notices? (Going by how long their platform preamble has been calling for Mitt Romney to save America without anyone fixing it, NEVER!) To follow up, how long until that person, sweating profusely, searches "tun off chat in yutibe"? Relatedly, why does YouTube have a swastika emoji? And belatedly, is there a "Do not display swastikas for fuck's sake" box we can check somewhere?

 It's probably 85% trolls, to paraphrase one helpful, hopeful soul on Twitter. Sure, yes, just a numberless horde of malignant nihilists who delight in inspiring fear, hatred and sadness, that's all. They're not seriously saying that Jews should burn, it's just a fun thing to say. That's our bright side. Then there's the 15% who are serious.

I'm no shrinking violet, but the chat was too much for me. I began to feel physically weak after roughly three minutes of trying to figure out if it was just a few people repeatedly praising Hitler and calling for the extermination of Muslims and Jews. It honestly didn't look like it.

Sure, the DNC chat (if they're dumb enough to leave it enabled) will likely look much the same. But it won't be the same, because the Democratic party, for all its flaws, doesn't want or need white supremacists in its winning coalition.

But go, see for yourself! See how each new dispiriting comment rises upon the back of another like hatching locusts.

It will be okay.

[ YouTube ]