Why are some so mean, unfeeling, angry and judgmental?

Maybe it's because we are a nation so divided politically. Maybe it's the potential World Series tension looming between Cubs fans and White Sox fans. Maybe it is a remnant of the flood. Or the Bears' stagnant offense and sievelike defense. Or the war. Or the economy. Or the lack of an exit strategy for that atrocious Emmy Awards show.

But we seem mad. We seem to be looking for a rumble.

John McCain used the word "fight" 25 times, and "fought" another 10, in his acceptance speech where he noted that "in my life, no success has come without a good fight." (That makes me wonder if he considers fathering his kids a success, and if so, just how that fight went down.)

In talking about hope, Barack Obama still found a way to mention John McCain 21 times (most of them in an unflattering light) in his acceptance speech.

Maybe it's the fault of the "Saturday Night Live" performances of Tina Fey, who went from ticking off Obama backers to irking Palin supporters.

Whatever the reason, we seem to be a pretty angry populace these days.

People laugh at the unwed teenager daughter of Sarah Palin. People rip Joe Biden, claiming he embellished the circumstances of the traffic crash that killed his wife and baby daughter. A few sad souls happily picket the funerals of dead soldiers and slain teenagers. Some relish natural disasters as a divine payback for presumed sins. Quite a few mock anyone whose mistakes are made public.

I see the meanness at dailyherald.com.

A straightforward news story about a 28-year-old husband and father of two who drowned during the flood drew 54 comments from readers. Sixteen of those comments had to be removed because they ripped the dead man, relished his death, mocked his demise or were deemed in poor taste.

Stories about immigration, "anything with animals" and certain crime stories generate lots of comments, notes Kurt Gessler, the Daily Herald's assistant managing editor of the online content.

That's just peachy in those cases where readers provide additional facts and keen personal observations that fuel meaningful discussions on our Web site.

"We connect with people at such a neighborhood level," Gessler says. "We have an audience that wants to participate in the news."

Then there are those other folks. The ones who post "the meanest, most outrageous things," Gessler says.

Gentle scoldings, temporary suspensions and dire warnings generally do the trick. With tens of thousands of readers piling up postings in the six digits, fewer than 3 percent of messages get deleted. But Gessler and his staff have had to implement 122 "lifetime bans." Gessler and his staff don't edit comments. But they can delete those deemed to violate terms of service for readers who post comments.

"What are you doing in your life that makes you so mean?" is a question that has popped into Gessler's head more than once.

On a bad day, the number of Web site comments that must be deleted reaches triple digits.

Some people go out of the way to ridicule a person's physical appearance or rip into someone who doesn't deserve the abuse. Even a seemingly benign story about a local woman appearing on "The Martha Stewart Show" draws one comment judged unfit for posting.

Many people post comments that not only convict anyone suspected of a crime, but go on to suggest penalties that include torture, beatings, gang rape or genital mutilation in prison -- often for young, first-time offenders (and their parents) who haven't been convicted of anything but are branded as "worthless," "scum bags," "slime balls," "losers," "degenerates" and worse.

After seeing their words deleted and getting a warning, "most get the message," says Gessler.

You can blast Obama as an unfit candidate for his liberal positions on the war, gays or abortion. You can, as I have done, argue that Bush is the worst president ever when it comes to war, government spending, the $9 trillion debt or his unfulfilled promise of being a "uniter."

But we really have to be less mean and hateful toward each other. Although I suppose some people see hate as nothing more than another form of entertainment.

"My wife TiVos 'The Young and the Restless,'" one of our online readers posted. "I am going to tell her that these Daily Herald posts are much more entertaining and have way more trash being thrown around. And, there are no commercials to fast-forward through."