20 Vinegar Valentines

I was tempted to post today’s post yesterday, but I decided not to disturb the feng shui of Valentine’s Day with something that is the reverse of the meaning of the day.

I know that sounds confusing but it will become clear.

I read once of a modern graffiti on a wall that was to the effect that people were scratching the same comments on the walls of ancient Rome and Greece, so that progress was a texta marker.

So it is with trolls, people who anonymously, deliberately and maliciously abuse other people on the internet, often with hurtful and nasty comments.

Between 1840 and 1940 anonymous persons did their trolling by means of nasty cards that were most frequently sent on Valentine’s Day. These cards were known as “Vinegar Valentines” and were often accompanied by a poem that insulted the recipient as being a type of person: arrogant, stupid, vain and so on.

Here is a selection . . .