Somehow, a story about cigarette warning labels goes racist in the first comment.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- You may think an image of rotting teeth and a mouth lesion are gross. But the U.S. government says it's just what you need to kick the habit.
Cigarette packs in the U.S. will soon feature new warning labels with graphic images of the negative health effects of smoking, including diseased lungs and the sewn-up corpse of a smoker. The U.S. government hopes the new warnings will discourage smoking, but smokers and nonsmokers alike question whether the ads are too gory.
"Somebody said when they first saw the warnings, `These are really gross.' And they are," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at a White House briefing. "We want kids to understand smoking is gross ---- not cool ---- and there's really nothing pretty about having mouth cancer."
The labels, which were released on Tuesday, are a part of a campaign by the Food and Drug Administration that aims to convey the dangers of tobacco, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.

You can see the whole article by clicking  this link

The very first comment ( posted by someone calling himself "Dude") for this article read:

The funnny thing is that cigarette smoking will take MUCH longer to kill me than not being able to eat anymore. Obama's big "recovery" is the only time in my long life that I've been worried about not being able to afford food. Hmm funny...the black family next door has lots of foodstamps...

To which I replied:

F***ing racist! unbelievable. Give me the slow Obama recovery over the rapid decline of the Bush recession any time. Your comment has absolutely nothing to do with this story and I challenge your values as you defend smoking on a computer, with some form of internet access and complain that you are starving. Perhaps you should give up your internet access and quit spending your money on cigarettes. Then, if your situation is really dire, join the family next door in the invasive and temporary process that provides food stamps for people in need. But do it quick before the republican cuts in that nutrition program take effect.

I have long despised the trend to allow commentary at the end of news stories.  The comments and individuals who comment often become the center of attention and many will use any story to beat the drum for their red banner issues even if they are not remotely connected.

I am certain the the blogging culture, of which I play a small part, has something to do with this.  There is a small difference here in that people who come to my blog know what to expect.

My biggest problem with the comment above is the blatant and unabashed racism.  It is a frightening trend that need to be challenged for all its ignorance and ugliness.