How to deal with trolls...

[Niya]

As far as that goes we, meaning me, use the term "online trolling" differently and by the way I define it (as posted above and generally accepted) I was surprised to hear someone defend it. Piecing together what I think you mean by "online trolling" we are talking about a different kind of activity. I'm thinking you are in a minority thinking of trolling as some sort of positive activity. All the same I'd like to see a banner somewhere for new users to see saying:

"Please don't feed the trolls"

I won't go as far as saying its positive. I never intended to imply that. I simply find it entertaining. As far as weather its positive or negative, its one of those things like beauty, its in the eye of the beholder. People react negatively most of the time but strangely, I've also seen positive outcomes. I've made friends online that way too. I've even had women try to pick me up(Guess women like bad boys online too or at least become quite receptive to me. So in the end its really up to the person on the other end if they want to take it as good fun and roll with it or if they want to take serious offense.

Oh yea, that definition of trolling you posted. I think I've seen that before. Reads like it was written by a seriously butthurt person. He attempts give it depth it doesn't have. I don't know about any of that, its just entertainment. Plain and simple.

Oh an congrats on your shiny new gem.....Looks good on ya. Want a pair of green shoes to go with it ?

[dilettante]

I guess somebody lives a rich inner fantasy life.

[Niya]

What ever do you mean ?

[dilettante]

Well let's just say I hope those women who try to pick you up online because of your adorable trolling are actually female at all - assuming they even exist.

[Niya]

Oh how cute....Don't be so envious dilettante Its a little telling that you would think that a self-confessed troll is that gullible.

I've done the whole pretending to be a girl thing myself and one time I had a guy one eating out of the palm of my hand to the point where he was willing to send me pics and stuff. He deserved it though. I was pretty nice to him yet for some reason he didn't like my guts so I took advantage off his stupidity for my entertainment and all it took was a screen handle that implied femininity, "Leluna". Even my current handle "Niya" was originally conceived because of its sexual ambiguity. Guys can be so stupid online when they believe the person on the other end is female. Note, that I didn't use it here at VBForums for that reason though. I started "Niya" years ago and I've grown accustomed to it being my handle in most places so I kinda stuck with it. So no, I of all people will not be so gullible as to blindly assume the sex of another person online.

Anyways, I assure you, what I said is no fantasy. In one particular instance that, I'll never forget, one woman went so far as give me her phone number. I later got a peek into her life and that of her children through Skype. She also sent me pictures and even suggested sending a ticket for me to come visit her, at her expense. Mind you this has happened more than once and it all started with me dicking around in some chat room.

I can understand your skepticism though. Even I can't believe it sometimes. Are people are so lonely that they'd become that attached so quickly to a total stranger online. The strangest twist in all this is that they don't even know what the hell I look like. I'm always in awe when these things happen. Words are really a powerful thing, even when they're not serious.

[Witis]

Trolls are also in L.O.T.R: http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Trolls

[Niya]

Those are cave trolls....I'm a digi troll....We're evolutionary cousins

[Witis]

Wasn't in the disambiguation???? http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Troll_(disambiguation) or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special...i+trolls&go=Go
Cave-trolls
Mountain-trolls
Snow-trolls
Stone-trolls
River Trolls
Olog-hai
Half-Trolls
Hill-trolls

Did you mean digimon?

[Niya]

Nah not digimon....Digi Troll. Cave-trolls troll caves. Mountain-trolls troll mountains. Digi-trolls troll the digital world.

[Witis]

Seems to be digimon to me: https://twitter.com/DigiTrolls

[Niya]

lol...seems I have relatives I don't know about

[Witis]

There you go, time to get twittering!

[Niya]

Hmm....trolling twitter. There's something I haven't done before lol.

[Witis]

So many sites, so little time!

[SJWhiteley]

Troll party and I missed it. You suck!

[Witis]

Nope, it's not called the troll party thread!

[SJWhiteley]

Nope, it's not called the troll party thread!

Niya
Witis
Niya
Witis
Shaggy
Funky
Dilettante
...
and others

Party On, Dude!

[Witis]

Have you lost it????? It is called the "How to deal with trolls..." thread not the "Troll party thread..." !!!!

[Niya]

Everywhere theres a troll...its a party no matter what!!! Party on dudes!!!!

[Witis]

Troll party music!

[Niya]

What the .....Its 0 seconds long....really is troll music rofl.

[Witis]

Really is!

[Jennifer Murphy]

It’s tragic that people, like Niya, who probably could be making significant positive contributions to society, choose to disrupt and inflame for no other reason than their own “entertainment”. They brag about trolling “just about every site I've ever made an account on” and gleefully brag about having “20 banned accounts” on various sites. They freely admit that “when people actual[ly] have a level[-]headed and civilized discussion about whatever flamebait I spewed[, i]t gets boring and I tend to leave.”

And it’s not enough, apparently, to merely respond to people they disagree with. They actively seek out people who are minding their own business on sites that they have no interest in otherwise. This is the equivalent of marching into a church spewing inflammatory rubbish. But that would require much more courage than doing it anonymously behind the protection of the Internet.

Joacim, this thread has given me a much greater appreciation for the work that you do. I often chafe at the rules, but Niya et al have reminded me of the sad alternative. For that, I thank them. For working to keep this forum from becoming the juvenile food fight that is Usenet, I thank you.

[FunkyDexter]

@Jennifer - I hope that, as a relatively new member, you're not judging this forum based on the actions of a few. The ChitChat section always been light hearted, often quite silly and occasionally a bit juvenile. Some of the posting lately, though, is frankly embarrassing. Believe it or not we used to have some very good discussions around here.

@Niya - I've got to be honest, I'm not convinced I can relate to the the stance you've taken in this thread. On the other hand, I've always found you be fun and witty rather than juvenile or aggressive in ChitChat. I don't think we've ever crossed paths in the main forums but judging by the number of gems you've aquired I reckon you're probably fine out there too. Until you prove me wrong (and I hope you don't) I'd rather give you the benefit of the doubt. As you said, VBF is your exception and I, for one, am grateful for that.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I would suggest that Chit-Chat has largely been where people let the crazy out. There are a few people who never do much anywhere else on here except for CC, but those people have a whole lot of crazy to let out, so it still fits the pattern. I have always appreciated the moderation of the moderators largely because most every other lightly moderated forum (and ALL un-moderated forums) are cesspools of humanity.

On the other hand, I can't quite condemn Niya for that position. While it would be one analogy to talk about marching into a church and spewing inflammatory rubbish, most people can think of analogies where they would like that to happen. After all, how bad would it be to march into a KKK rally and spew some inflammatory rubbish? Those folks would either assault you or elect you as their leader (since inflammatory rubbish is pretty much their trade, so it would depend on the actual flavor). Poking holes in the beliefs of a benign or beneficial group is generally seen as being boorish. Poking holes in the beliefs of a cult, an oppressive conformist belief system, or anything else of the like is often considered to be an act of heroism.

I was thinking about the anonymous man in front of those Chinese tanks. There are two major differences between what he did and what Niya did:

1) He put his life at risk, while Niya didn't expose anything, not even a name.
2) The perspective is different because so many people who saw the image agreed with what they thought his position was, and disagreed with what they thought the tank commanders position was.

There are times when everybody would feel that an act of opposition is right (not always the same act for every person) even when the person performing the act doesn't become a martyr. The only way I can see a blanket condemnation of contrarianness being valid would be for those who want absolute conformity. For everyone else, the situation can become considerably more gray if you get into specific situations. We don't fundamentally oppose bomb throwing, we just care what the target is.

[SJWhiteley]

@ Jennifer, I think you may be equating the increased technology and advanced communications media for an increase in civility and enlightenment. People are people; the same as they were 100s or even 1000's of years ago. Technology doesn't change that. indeed, it gives those who tend to walk in the 'grey-er' side of society a better avenue to do so, thus creating an apparent increase in the darker sides of the 'human personality'.

[SJWhiteley]

Nicely (sic) put, Shaggy.

At the end of the day, though, this is Chit Chat, and while the original thread didn't star there, this is a venue where things tend to be a bit more...'open season'.

I think I've only been banned from one forum, though: the Democratic underground. They saw right through my ploy of reasoned argument and discourse...

[Witis]

Another way to deal with trolls!

A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning frightens away trolls and jötnar appears in numerous Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of the god Thor's role in fighting such beings. In connection, the lack of trolls and jötnar in modern Scandinavia is sometimes explained as a result of the "accuracy and efficiency of the lightning strokes"

[Witis]

Like this!!


Objective good > religion i.e Francis who?

[dilettante]

Just don't let that Michelle catch you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqOJ-KdtZio

[Witis]

Michelle is a super troll which is a troll that "aquires" lots of other trolls!

[Witis]

Not to be confused with troll hunters or wardens!

[dilettante]

So would a poster who trolls about trolls and trolling be a metatroll?

[Niya]

So would a poster who trolls about trolls and trolling be a metatroll?

Trollception

[Witis]

I would call them delectable!

[Niya]

It’s tragic that people, like Niya, who probably could be making significant positive contributions to society, choose to disrupt and inflame for no other reason than their own “entertainment”.

Let me give you a lesson in reality my dear Jenny. What's tragic is the fact that here on Earth we produce enough food to feed the entire human race yet millions still suffer from malnutrition. What's tragic is that in certain parts of the world mother nature could sneeze and in a flash thousands die under the unrelenting power of a tsunami or an earthquake. What's tragic is that in certain parts of the world, the body of a woman can be violated by men without any consequences because women barely have any rights. In some places, they are even punished even though they were the victim. Whats tragic is someone losing their life because some war veteran nutcase in an urban area decided to relive his glory days as a sniper in the military.

As for making positive contributions, well I don't suppose the countless hours I spend here helping others while expecting nothing in return counts in your eyes does it. I would guess it doesn't. Self righteous people are usually the hardest to please. Have you considered that I could have used my knowledge for truly wicked purposes ? All it would really take is some clever social engineering to get people to install Trojans on their computers and writing a Trojan is well within my abilities. Thankfully, I find doing such things really distasteful. Yet, you're getting all bent out of shape because I like trolling Christians and other over privileged self-important people who never had a real problem in their lives. I don't apologize for it. I don't care that it bothers you. I don't care that it offends your delicate sense of morality. I don't know care what you think of me. I don't know you and I certainly don't owe you any justification for my admitted actions that would satisfy your lofty ideals. I like trolling....plain and simple....deal with it

[dilettante]

Hey there Niya. Under your name it says "burning member."

Might want to visit the local clinic about that.

[Niya]

Clinics can't cure birth defects.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Some people SHOULD install trojans...oh wait, you were talking about computers. In that case, you seem a bit overly defensive about your behavior. Even more defensive that Jennifer Murphy seems offended by your behavior. That's not putting your best face forwards, but rather the one with the vertical smile, which is probably better left to metaphors and other mythological beasts. What you are doing is certainly treading on a societal norm, which is going to get some blowback that you should expect. There's plenty of highground for your position, you hardly have to get down into the swamp to justify it, so there's no good reason to get all defensive--y about it. It's one thing to deflate the overinflated, it's another to throw bombs because you like to see people get hurt. Just be sure that the actions you are taking are for a good reason.

[SJWhiteley]

We all have a fuse in our bomb; it's just waiting to be lit...in Shaggy's case, 3 fuses in his pineapple-y bomb...

This kinda reminds me of the XKCD cartoon 'Duty Calls' (aka. Someone is wrong on the internet).

The internet is a playground with no rules. Getting offended by something on the internet, well, lets just say (as Niya has pointed out) there are bigger issues at large.