[brittonsmith]

You may have somewhat of a point. As I said, I'm unsure whether the commenters should be criminally punished or just as they have been already.

However, even if you would not feel differently, I don't think all of the people who said what they did would even have the nerve to say those things in person. The internet creates this imbalance where the effect of actions is felt much more by the recipient than the actor. This, at least, is not a good thing, and a slightly different context than a comedian making a tasteless joke.