Weekend Woes

Last Friday night, I made a huge mistake. I allowed myself to be lured to the “dark side” of the Internet. It all started with this “troll” (which I liken to a cockroach) that had infested Val’s “Life and Vincent” blog. This “person" (and I use the term loosely) had left a derisive comment about VDO and his devotees. Then another “anonymous” coward said that a bunch of VDO bloggers were the “talk” of a particular website.

So, stupid old me, being the “Curious George” that I am, trotted my big ol’ butt over to the aforementioned website, (I won’t be mentioning it by name here) did a little searching, and…wah lah…up popped a “thread” devoted solely to Vincent D'Onofrio. It was supposed to be about him and his wife and their new baby, but it rapidly deteriorated into this hideous, rancorous, completely pointless, vicious attack on Vincent and his family.

I should have exited the thread once I realized what I had unwisely stumbled upon, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading…all 497 comments. You know, they say that “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.” Take my word for it, there was absolutely nothing “satisfying” about this…drivel. I could not believe the despicable things that were being said about Vincent and his new baby boy.

And woe betide the individual who tried to post a favorable comment about Vincent; they were castigated in the most venomous, vulgar terms. Basically, anyone who liked VDO and tried to defend him was classified as being old, over the hill women (hausfraus) who were…mentally ill.

This site both angered and saddened me…then it depressed me. Granted, it doesn’t take much to stir that old demon depression these days, but this place really got me down. It angered me for the obvious reasons…trash talking Bobby/VDO and, more specifically, a completely innocent babe. And sad because…well…it distresses me to see so much blatant hostility, intolerance, ignorance, and unacceptance in this world. Posters on the thread sloughed off those who tried to take them to task for their offensive comments, stating that the website is known for its “gritty” style and that everything is said in good-natured humor. Trust me, folks, there was nothing remotely good-natured or amusing on that thread.

They trashed VDO for his weight…that was the main thing. They said he was a bad actor and was ugly. They had links to pictures of things like broken chairs and toilets and had tag lines that said something like, “This is what your house will look like following a visit from Vincent.” But the one that did me in…the link that made me want to pull my hair out by the roots and run screaming into the night…was the one to a blog devoted to “Why fat people smell.” By the time I finished reading this revolting diatribe, I was in tears.

I thought about posting a comment of my own…for about a nano-second. Then I realized Nietzsche was probably right, “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster.” Besides, I did not wish to leave any part of myself there…they had already sucked out a piece of my soul. Another quote comes to mind: “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” Well, not only does the Shadow know, but I now know, having visited the fifth ring of hell and come back to tell you all about it.

So, in parting, I apologize for shattering your innocence if you were unaware of the existence of this awful place…I just needed to write about it…to get it out of my brain and onto “paper.” My advice to you, "do as I say, not as I did." Do not go in search of this hellish place. You just might find it and, I promise you, it is a trip you will neither enjoy nor easily forget.

Now, to prove there is still a safe haven for Bobby/VDO admirers (this is but one of many) I give you the following photos. I know you’ve all seen them before, but he’s so darn cute, I just had to do a slideshow of my own.