Why are youtube comments so awful?

Because people have nothing better to do.

It’s the same kids putting up all the nut shot videos

I think because YouTube doesn’t have a focussed purpose (sure it’s videos, but of everything) it attracts one of the wider audiences. Cast a wider net, you tend to get more crap.

Plus, all the intelligent people are busy on Fluther.

I think it’s because the kind of people who take the time to comment with few exceptions really do have nothing better to do and so make nasty comments.

Okay, that was weak, even I can admit that.

I’m guess because absolutely anyone is on there, and a lot of people are dumb. (I’m just working with the evidence here. I’m usually the last person to say “every1z dum lol nd im so intalekshuel” But what other explanation is there?)

You should see foreign language music videos. Every. single. one of them is “Russia sucks” “Turkish chicks are better than Azerbaijani chicks” or “Armenians saved your ass, Uzbekistan” and I’m just like why are people from all these second-world post-Communist countries arguing about which one is the best? Honestly…

I’m not kidding. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaezJkxb9YE

Boredom + Anonymity = Assholes

It’s probably because YouTube is almost entirely moderated by the community.

Anarchy is never a good system for governing anything, even especially a website.

4chan is much worse than Youtube. As for the Youtube comments – anything and everything goes. People have the ability say whatever they please and with this notion it often opens up a can of worms. It’s absolute paradise for trolls.

People are total assholes as long as no one knows who they are. It’s really kinda sad.

Because there are no mods on youtube?
I mean like a comment moderator or something

I use the Firefox extension to filter the crap.

I would say the general IQ of YouTube users is lower than other places, to begin with, but that’s what you get when you have a broadly-accessed site like that. Not to mention, the majority of YouTube videos are dumb, at least in my opinion. Then you add in the fact that people tend to be way ruder, meaner, more crass, and insulting when the internet separates them from other people.

All the more reason to invent a key that, when pressed, punches the other user in the face.

@PretentiousArtist Not that I know of. Users just ‘vote’ on comments they feel should be removed. It would be a massive undertaking to moderate all the comments on YouTube anyway.

Reading YouTube comments makes me lose faith in humanity. :(
It’s just the place where idiots can congregate and talk to other idiots without being banned.

I find that YouTube doesn’t do a good job on removing comments that are voted down. This just causes people to get into flame wars.

People just get so nasty and racist and stuff. It’s like an ignorant free-for-all.

Well, I guess dimwits need a place to excel also.

It’s sort of like the Olympics for immature, crass, brainless idiots with nothing better to do in life except see how far the bar can be lowered.

Be all that you can be. Make a stupid comment on YouTube.

It’s because the format of Youtube comments is just that—comments. They’re not focused on discussions. So most of the comments are one-off, very brief, poorly written snippets of a thought. Also, there is no easy way to look at a comment thread for replies.
The way Youtube is built just isn’t the right environment for a discussion.

Task: try to leave a comment on YouTube that’s so ludicrous that people know you’re joking. Hint: this is impossible.

@DominicX: this a better example. Not Suitable For Anyone.

In internet jargon its defined as “Trolling”

It’s the sincere and intellectually honest commentary that prevails in the absence of moderation.

Because people like to go out of their way to piss us off.

Haha I got 10 people angry at my racist comments. Thats better than the guy who can’t spell.

hahhahah, they are so funny. some of them are so ridiculous. it is like the scum of the earth has all congregated around their computers, are all on youtube, and are all commenting on the same videos…all…the…time.

Young people who are drunk with the power that the relative anonymity of the internet gives them.