Ok, I know that this is my third post about message board commenters this week, but I find them to be a fascinating phenomenon. They remind me of those people who gather around an accident scene or a crime scene. There they stand, in morbid appreciation, like the characters from Ray Bradbury’s “The Crowd.”
 
For my purposes, I’m going to give them a name– Murkers (short for morbid lurkers). This week, the Murkers were in fine form on the message boards. Read on for some real gems.
 
From the Chicago Tribune
 
Under the story “Man charged in fatal stabbing of girlfriend” one Murker wrote:
“I wants to know if she pervoked this.”
 
“Villa Park man indicted in DuPage drug-related homicide” provoked another Murker to say, “If he didn’t learn anything from his 18 months inside maybe this judge will give him the whole 30 years and stipulate that he does it all. Otherwise someone needs to just kill him out here on the streets so our kids are safe from him.”
 
After reading “Police warn of 2 armed robbers in Beverly neighborhood,” one Murker joked, “Just a couple of Obamamaniacs starting early with the redistribution of wealth in this country!”
 
So what exactly provokes the Murkers to speak with such reckless abandon? Is it the anonymity? Most likely. I’ve also noticed that Murkers are serial crime story commenters. I guess, in that respect, I’m a Murker too– digging around the dark side of Chi-Town. But I like to think I do so with a little finesse. Maybe it’s because I sign my name after all of my Murker-like comments.

1. Trench, March 1, 2008:

   Excellent post. It’s definitely the anonymity. I usually out my murkers by posting their IP address when they get out of hand.

2. Brenna Ehrlich, March 2, 2008:

   Thanks Trench. That’s a good tip!