An interesting development. Both Crisis Magazine, go here, and One Peter Five, go here, are banning comments. This mirrors a recent move among secular blogs. Althouse is a recent example, to do away with comments, although in the case of that blog, comments e-mailed to the eponymous blog owner may be approved by her to be published. Go here for an example.
I make no criticism of the decisions of Crisis Magazine and One Peter Five. They are in my regular rotation of sites that I try to view weekly and I respect their work. Every blog has to find a formula that works for it. I merely use this as an opportunity to explain why The American Catholic has always allowed, and will always allow, comments.
From its inception this has been a group blog. It was never intended to consist of monologues but always dialogues. Part of this desire has always been reflected in robust debate in the comboxes. We have been blessed over the past dozen years with a fine stable of regular commenters. Over time the identities of the commenters shift a bit with new people coming onboard and some commenters deciding they have said what they wish to say. Some commenters are content with a few comments, other commenters over the years have made thousands of comments. As a whole, I have viewed the comments as highly positive for the blog. Speaking for myself, I have found the comments to be exhilarating and often enlightening. One article of my personal faith is that truth usually is well served by robust debate.
Good comboxes do need tending, which is why over the years we have helped the process along with the following posts, among others:
Saint John Cardinal Newman’s Rules for Blogging
Seven More Deadly Sins of Catholic Blogging
Bear Growls: Lawyers as Bloggers
Why I Am Friends With “Moderation” and “Ban”
How Not to Appear Crazy on the Internet
An underlying theme of all these posts is appealing, in Lincoln’s ringing phrase, to the better angels of our nature. I think that phrase sums up the guiding purpose of this blog. I blog for fun, but I would stop blogging if I thought that I was suffering spiritual detriment by doing it. On the whole, I think spiritually that I have been helped by this blog, and the comboxes have played no small role in this. Comboxes can often be the site of viciousness and darkness, bringing out the worst in all concerned. The commenters of this blog, on the whole, have worked diligently to make our comboxes sites of debate, good humor and fun. For that the commenters of TAC will always have my gratitude.
Comments should not be banned. The most avid readers make comments and are the ones most likely to carry the article’s message to others.
Note The Catholic Thing also canceled comments on their FB page. My guess they are fearful of being cancelled themselves. It’s a hell of a world we live in now.
“For that the commenters of TAC will always have my gratitude.” -DM
We are grateful for your labor of love, this site.
Today’s Gospel reading commands us to love our enemies. Fulfillment of this command can only be accomplished when we ask Him to help us, since it’s impossible otherwise. We need grace.
Pope Francis is in great need of our prayers. He gives us proof of this fact almost every other day.
If enough of us pray hard for him, with God’s help, he may come to see the great truth that less is more.
Less confusion.
Less opinions that are ambiguous.
Less contradictions.
Thank you Donald for your patience and hard work.
Agree with Michael and Philip. Also, I have to admit that comments are one of the main reasons I frequent most blogs, the few exceptions being specialized or locally focused news commentary sites such as Battleswarm. Once TCT dropped its onsite comments, I stopped looking at it for the most part. The same will happen to Crisis and 1P5, I expect. The perspectives of the civilized commenters, of whom there have been many at the mentioned sites now banning comments, were essential to my ability to learn new things and see new ways of looking at the topics discussed. I understand why they are doing it, but I think it’s a big mistake.
I find this site like a sanity sanctuary for the soul, with appropriate, interesting, and often, with a rare, truly Catholic mission of spreading the truth about the faith in this day of confusion and ambiguity. I have learned much from the comment section as rational concerned people seem to permeate it.
Having written for a site daily for a few years a while back, I can only thank you Don for all your work.
Don, great job and thank you.
Michael,
Agree. I too read the “cancelation of comments” as caving into fear of cancel culture.
I also read in it a certain elitism that stamps out thoughts and involvement from the common folk, while placing the publication in a bubble. I doubt publications realize this, but it’s a terribly wrong action to take, especially now.
That’s a shame that commenting has been stopped on those other sites.
It’s a true credit to you Don and your contributors on the quality of this blog. I love reading the comments. And I’m equally grateful to have an opportunity
to add my two cents amongst the very insightful and passionate views of the many other commentators. TAC is a sure thing for navigating the current events of our times through a Catholic lens. In fact, it’s a rare gem on the vast abyss that is the worldwide web.
PS. Its also good for keeping me mentally engaged whilst I raise young kids. Thank you!
Thanks Don. This blog, including comments, is a true blessing. I always learn something when I come here. Sometimes from the original post, sometimes from the comments.
Thank you, Don, for your kind words! This is one of the blogs I visit most regularly because it feels like visiting old friends and sometimes making new ones. I had to give up following some other conservative blogs of late because the comments were all gloom, doom and despair but here, although we do seem to have a lot of grim news to report from both the Church and secular world, the posts and comments are more uplifting and I look forward to them.
Have always appreciated this place. Do miss old contributors and old commenters.
I like the contributors at Crisis much better than I like the editors.
Before internet blog comments there were newspapers’ letters to the editor. For me, the letters were always must reads. Same with comments.
Now, I only subscribe [paper and online] to Barron’s. After looking at the many and various numbers I follow, I go to the letters. Then, I may or may not critical-thinking/read some of their sell side reporting.
I also enjoy reading comments, but some policing is inevitable if the audience becomes large, and at some point policing may become impractical. The Federalist had this problem with some commentary crossing the line into vulgarity and gratuitous offense. And this unfortunate phenomenon can injure the reputation of the hosting blog or forum
Thank you, Donald. I come to TAC to read the comments as much as I do the posts. This is the one blog that I frequent daily.
I suspect part of the change is because there were some contributors who ended up spending a lot of time in the comment section– and a few times, were embarrassed thereby.
Comment sections are the bane of anybody who really likes to win via being a blowhard.
It is astonishing that Catholic sites have been cancelling comments. Does it not reflect the prevailing perspective in the broader climate to hold the opinions arising from the street in contempt? No comment, no view and surely no contribution. Unfortunately I fell before Skojec’s latest street corner appeal for a dime. It will be the last dime that one gets from me. And I do wish someone would clarify how he supports his family on our tax deductible contributions. What is the reasoning behind that? I think we have been taken.
Well, I don’t comment much but I still am a big fan (and not even Catholic, though I have attended mass occasionally and this is my Polish wife’s recent history.) Look forward the link in my Email. I used to blog (a daily devotional) but after about 500 of them I think I had said all I wanted to say. I hope you don’t reach that point, but if you do, I will understand.
And I do wish someone would clarify how he supports his family on our tax deductible contributions. What is the reasoning behind that?
He’s done different things over the last 20-odd years, including a miserable stint working for his father-in-law. He’s also moved around some, but I think has been in Arizona more than other places. (He’s from Binghamton, NY IIRC). I think he’s usually employed in corporate communications or marketing. His wife’s a real estate agent. I think they have six children. Dale Price will know.
Thanks my friends. Your comments, as always, are appreciated!
In 21 states, unemployed households can earn $25 an hour on welfare.