How not to comment on a blog: The troubling P9X incident

This just in … when it’s summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s actually winter in the Southern Hemisphere. (You scratch your head, go back to watching Cops). Reason? Because we live on a globe, and also God likes to confuse blog commenters.
In the short history of Out Of Bounds (we rolled this thing out this past November), there have been a handful of posts that have hit a rarefied air in number of reader comments; I think the record is around 800, for one of the early Tiger Woods posts (he cheated on his wife? No!). On Monday we had another CommentFest, as upwards of 500 of you wrote in to give your opinion on Abby Sunderland, the hapless teen sailor. Main point of contention: Her rescue effort cost an estimated $300,000, and Abby’s parents said they have no intention of chipping in.
And speaking of hapless, one of the early commenters on that post was an unfortunate rube who went by the handle of P9X. Never before has one commenter been so vilified on this — or perhaps any other — blog, probably. In reply to another commenter’s observation that Sunderland should not have been sailing near Australia in “the dead of Winter,” P9X wrote: Since when is JUNE the dead of winter!!!??? what an idiot!
Big mistake.

You surrounded him like a herd of wild boar, then attacked; tearing poor P9X limb from limb. Pieces of him were scattered everywhere … the site was covered with blood. Samples of your wrath:

* Southern Hemisphere seasons are different than Northern Hemisphere. — JC.

That was the first one to address the issue, at comment No. 16. So that was fine. But it went on … and on …

* June is the dead of winter in the Southern Hemisphere genius… — nosailorbut.

* Summer in the Northern Hemisphere = Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. You know, as the word turns tilted on its axis? Who you calling idiot Willis….. — HM

* P9X–June is the dead of winter on the other side of the world. Just because it is summer here doesn’t mean it is summer everywhere! Where were you in 4th grade geography class? — starfish

* You are brilliant P9X! She was on the other side of the equator dip! — debond

There were well over a hundred of these. Some of my favorites:

* Hey P9X, I’m not sure where to start with you. Is it that you are thinking the world is flat, or you don’t understand the whole concept of hemispheres? I bet if you studied up, it would blow your mind to learn about the earth rotating on its axis and circling the sun… — JimBillyJoeBob

* What season is it in the Southern Hemisphere? — Threat Level: Midnight

* P9X, are you going to defend yourself from all the responses you are getting here? Man-up! Don’t go out like a chump. — cuzzenbud

* June IS Winter in the So. Hemisphere. I’m sending in your entry to the geography bee for next year. — P9999X

* In Rand McNally it is winter in June ….where people walk on their hands and hamburgers eat people. — Matt

* The Earth is a sphere (think ball). — anotherGeorge

Different names which P9X was called by our commenters: Moron, idiot, Sparky, genius, dumbass, brainiac, P9X = FAIL, Dumbo, toolbox.

* Why are there still idiots replying to the P9X comment? How many times do I have to read about the seasons being the opposite in different hemisphere’s? I think we all got it. — Keith.

Because, Keith, many many readers scrolled to P9X’s comment, which was only the ninth one below the story, and decided to put him in his place; without noticing that there were a couple of hundred comments beneath that. This breaks the cardinal rule of commenting: always check the terrain before chiming in. Otherwise you may be just embarrassing yourself.
Or, maybe there are just a lot of disgruntled geography buffs out there. Was P9X a troll? I doubt it; he seemed to genuinely not know that our Earth is spherical. It’s just going to go down as one of those special moments in history, where the many ganged up to pummel the weak. Like the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or any Diamondbacks game.
Oh, and this just in … five minutes ago …

Since she was in the southern hemisphere. — Gretchen (Tues., 12:55 p.m., ET)

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Teen sailor’s mom: We can’t afford to pay back rescue costs [Out of Bounds]