I think the first time I saw the words “Mean People Suck” it was on a bumper sticker in the parking lot at a Wal-Mart somewhere in the Midwest. Some people say a band wrote a song back in the early 1980s called “Mean People Suck” and that’s where the saying came from.

Another one of my favorite bumper stickers is, “Tough Times Won’t Last, But Tough People Will.” I will save that for another day.

Nonetheless, mean people really do suck and it’s been evident lately. Here’s what I mean.

It’s always interesting to me when a major crime or event happens in or around Great Falls, Montana. The event seems to bring out the worst in people – especially those who get their bravery because they are posting from their Facebook account to the Facebook pages of the local newspaper (Great Falls Tribune) and the one television station (KRTV) that has a strong social media program.

It’s a tough job policing your newspaper and television station’s Facebook page and the comment sections on their websites. They need the traffic on their sites, and over the years they have come a long way in policing the comments. That journey continues…

A few months ago a teenager was charged with raping an 11 year old girl. It was a horrendous crime. When the teenager tried to kill himself by jumping from the rotunda at the local courthouse, people basically cheered his jumping.

One person I know, who is so backward he can’t look a person in the eye during a conversation, has new-found bravery from his Facebook page. He commented something like it would save taxpayer money if the teenager killed himself. His mother must be so proud.

Recently there was a car chase in and around Great Falls. Way out here in Montana this is big news. I often wonder when I hear about a car chase in Montana where the person thinks he/she will go.

Anyway, the man who ran from the police was being investigated for rape. He had not been found guilty of rape, but on the social media sites he was found guilty. Before reports came out that said he killed himself, some were saying if he was shot by a police officer that was a good thing. Overall people said he was for sure guilty since he ran. Now some say he was surely guilty since he took his own life.

Of course, a few nice people post comments on the sites saying he was a person with family and friends or that we should wait for the facts. Usually those people are slammed pretty hard for not being as blood-thirsty as the rest of the people posting on the Facebook page.

A friend told me the other day that the old hang `em high justice system has been replaced in the wild wild west. He said people get their law and order kicks from sounding off in the comment sections and on the Facebook pages of their local newspaper and television station, and not from using the nearest tree. That may be a good thing.

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