WE appear to have turned into a nation of despicable cowards who prefer to take horrible pot-shots at vulnerable individuals rather than stand up to be counted.

Unfortunately, social media feeds this nasty streak which is now able to be on view every single day, thanks to the anonymity modern technology offers.

Before Facebook or Twitter, would anyone as an individual have gone up to Rio Ferdinand and said that his wife dying was “better than winning the Premier League” or that was what happened when “you go against the mighty John Terry”?

Of course they wouldn’t. Even if they’d had the brass neck to voice their innermost nasty thoughts aloud, they definitely wouldn’t have had the bottle to do that. Yet, they’re happy to post vile comments in public where others may tut at their sick words but where the real damage is done to Ferdinand and his grieving family.

Apparently, people feel free to do and say whatever they please, provided it’s done without them being identified. Now those are some really brave actions, aren’t they?

It’s very easy to be proud of speaking your mind or painting graffiti on a car or someone’s property when no-one knows it’s you who is doing it. Any idiot can be a purveyor of free speech under those conditions.

You have only to look at the online comments on newspaper websites like the Bolton News to see what some people feel is acceptable to say. Ignore the spelling, the poor grammar or the unconnected thoughts – if you focus on the emotion behind it it’s streaked yellow all the way through.

Virtually everybody has been the victim of cruel and totally uncalled for comments. Any news story attracts the most ridiculous statements from what I’d kindly like to think are unhappy, very troubled individuals whose own lives must be a mess.

Striking out at others, especially when they are at a low ebb in their own lives because of something tragic that has happened, is unforgivable. Yet, we have come to accept this as part of the dark side of today and hardly give it a thought – until it happens to us.

The only consoling thought is in that old saying “what goes around comes around” because those who regularly try to cause unhappiness for others will surely suffer themselves one day. It’s called karma, and it works.