Article About Sex Toy Store Robbery Turns Into Full Blown Investigation By Internet Morality Police

If you write anything at all on the internet in this day and age, you're going to get someone yelling at you about something, be it the content of the article, an inaccurate fact, or {gasp} a typo. If you're just an unassuming reporter attempting to construct an article around the robbery of a Michigan sex toy store, however, you should now prepare yourself for an onslaught by the self-appointed internet morality police.

Reporter Heather Lynn Peters recently posted a story on M Live (link below) regarding the robbery of the sex toy shop Cirillas in Norton Shores, Michigan and internet morality police lieutenant "swordsman77" decided it was time to take this woman to task for using the word sex in a headline...

Thankfully "fallseason," who may or may not be a friend or relative of Heather's, came to her rescue, only to be shot down by the cleverly created for this exact argument "notfooled"

The controversy seemed to have died down until four days later, "beachnwine" decided it was time to check back in on the article to see if all of that bitching had led to a change in the headline of the story. Upon discovering that Heather had not caved to internet shaming, "beachnwine" deputized themselves the new sheriff in town...

Internet trolls, I have a three-fold message for you, and I'll meet you over in Tucker's Corner...

We're still working on the logo...

Anyway, here's what I would like anyone thinking of writing anything on the internet to consider before they do so. 

1. Would you say this to the original poster's face if given the opportunity? 

2. Did you spell check your piece and ensure proper usage of "their" "there" and "they're"?

3. Is your comment coherent? Did you think about it for more than five seconds? Do you actually think you're going to affect any kind of change with your comment?

If you meet all three of these criteria, I invite you to comment on anything you like. I've had many interesting discussions with people who have fit this criteria, and my hope is that we continue to do so. There is a place for honest, well-thought out, intellectual discourse on the internet, but it has to come from a place of respect. Notice how I resisted the urge to call internet commenters basement dwellers or douchebags. Consider that restraint an olive branch, extended to those who agree with me that as adults, we can all behave in a mature fashion. 

Via MLive