Grainne, I liked this- because I think it has general points in it that we could all use. I don't like the idea of calling people "trolls"- I think there are definitely troll posts, and sometimes we even post a troll accidentally, and don't even realize it is a little troll.
I think we could all learn not to encourage the troll posts. I think when we see a post we think IS a troll, we could stop, and think, and post in a way that makes us look reasonable and rational- rather than emotional and reactive, and thereby not feed the troll post with other troll posts. If we are merely emotional and reactive, we will only reach other people who are emotional and reactive in exactly the same way we are. There may be LOTS of people who are emotional and reactive in the way we are, and this may encourage us to think that being emotional and reactive is "good". However, what does it really do, other than acting as a flocculating activity? (flocculating means causing soil to form lumps- I think of this metaphorically happening with posters on SI...)
We can learn not to be rude and personal on the net. We will probably all make mistakes on the way to being polite. Some of us will make mistakes on purpose; some of us will make mistakes accidentally. None of us are perfect. We should think about that a lot (imo). We should probably concentrate a lot on ourselves, and how to make ourselves more polite people, rather than fixating on others- if only for the logical reason that it will probably work if we try to fix ourselves, and trying to change other people rarely has the desired effect.
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How to handle a Troll
The MOST important rule for handling trolls is not to feed them. You might say, "I don't feed them!" But most of us do even when we don't think we are. So here are some rules for how to not feed the trolls.
Learn first to recognize the troll. They are the ones who post flame bait to start a controversy. Generally a search for their posts will show they have no other posts or only similar flame bait. Sometimes they have 2 or 3 flamers suddenly on a board...all beginning at the same time, often supporting the other screenname...too stupid to know people will know they are one person of trollbuddies. They are the ones who have the same thing being said to them over and over and over. They are the ones pretending to not understand, or twisting posts in order to continue their trolling dialog. Do not imagine that YOUR response will be the one that will help them to GET IT. Not even if you roll them in glue and punt them into the Clue Dumpster* will they GET IT. They do not want to GET IT, they want to GET YOU. Don't be troll food.
When you realize they are a troll, do not respond to personal comments from them. This is how they hook you back into feeding them! Yea though they toss them to you like gumdrops leading to the witch's ginger bread house, ignore them! Like my buddy says, "Trolls (like Bad Farts) ONLY go away when completely and utterly ignored and no one posts anything on any of their posts...any "fanning of the fumes" just gets them all happy to offend all over again ."
Learn to ignore them. You can do it. If you can't, learn to use the filters so you don't even have to SEE their posts. Its quite refreshing, knowing they are starving.
Be prepared for them to change names and take a fresh run. Learn to use AOL search to find out if this NEW troll has ever posted before, or if this new troll is a fungus offshoot of the old troll everyone caught on to. Add these new trolls to the filter list.
Like my buddy said, "ignore them or they will keep coming, and coming and coming" ... frankly a bad porno movie is generally more cerebrally stimulating than a troll.
If you simply CANNOT stand to not respond on occasions, make your response low calorie. Remember the ignore buttons and pass them out.
Recognizing Flame bait
If it sounds too stupid to be real, its probably flame bait.
If it sounds like something meant to make people respond in droves, its probably flame bait.
If it sounds like the person is too clueless to ever GET IT, they probably are or they are just tossing out those flamebait gum drops. Either way, it wastes time responding... you know... pearls before swine? |
