Boston Bruins fans and their team are correspondingly awful

I can't believe the Tweets that were sent out by Boston fans after the Bruins lost Game 7 in OT against the Capitals when winger Joel Ward banged in a rebound on the insipid Tim Thomas.  In 2012.  The unvarnished hatred and bigotry of some of their 'fans' spewed out in social media is jarring.

First, that these feelings are still harboured by people who are sentient to the point of being able to operate complicated machinery like a phone is staggering.  Second, that they would air them out in public, that they would think these feelings are acceptable fodder in any company is mind-blowing.  This isn't forty years ago, it's the 21st century.  Didn't these guys see "Do The Right Thing"?

Whether this is a resurgence from the darker, outer fringe of society, being enabled by the Tea Party and the Republican Party, as well as their propaganda arm of Fox News and Breitbart, and their constant vilification of President Obama and the 'welfare poor', or dark-hearted fans hopped up on the violent, lawless and ill-tempered style of their defeated team, venting their disappointment in a voluntarily hurtful manner, it is completely unacceptable and there must be swift backlash, in terms of the moral majority (the real kind) quickly voicing their disapproval.

So, shame on you, ignorant fans of the Bruins.

As always, it's important to restate the words of Morrissey and The Smiths, who said it best: "It's easy to laugh, it's easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind."

One of the boards I visit is the San Diego Union Tribune's Chargers website, and they have changed their format recently so that to comment on stories, users must use their Facebook ID.  This removes the ability for posters to create a fake account, firehose the blogosphere with poison as long as they can, and when their privileges are suspended are free to create another account at a later date.  Since people's comments are attached to their Facebook account, I've noticed that the level of discourse has improved markedly, personal attacks are rare, and there is virtually no profanity to be seen.  This may be the way of the future: a poster can be private or even anonymous, but always accountable.