Re-post: How to deal with trolls

Jack, I am a writer, a poet , and a writing critic. You are a jaw dropping genius.
I SAID GENIUS !!!

:person_facepalming:

ordinary trolls are everywhere. Somewhere on the vast Internet, under a bridge,
is THE KING OF ALL THE TROLLS !!! and he scoffs at you all .

Oh man, that is beautiful! :+1: That got me rolling…… OMG! :smiley:

I read an interesting study recently that was linked on another forum I frequent, and that’s it in a nutshell.

If anyones interested…
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-online-secrets/201409/internet-trolls-are-narcissists-psychopaths-and-sadists

-Michael

That’s quite true.

Some people are intelligent, and yet very gifted in pointing not so intelligent people to the truth in a manner in which all benefit.

Some people are intelligent and get off pointing out where the not so intelligent are wrong, delight in public shaming as it were.

Others, while sincere, are sometimes sincerely wrong, and don’t wish to hear the truth from anyone. I’ve seen it here and other forums as well, folks who are quantifiably wrong yet cannot stomach being told so in any manner, polite or otherwise.

I’m not disagreeing at all, I’m just saying while they may not be trolls in the sense we’re talking about here, their behavior has much the same result.

It’s not as bad here as other places on the net, one forum in particular is known for running off SME’s by the boatload due to the aforementioned behavior.

-Michael

ReManG’s point, which I agree with, is that common courtesy and respect are intelligent and evolved personality characteristics. The opposites are the opposite.

Now this is how to deal with Trolls

Troll Bridge - with Cohen the Barbarian by Terry Pratchett

http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/athenia/stories/pterry/troll.htm

No doubt true. However, those who engage trolls are likely narcissists as well. I don’t think trolls are really interested in going after quiet, nice, people. They want to upset loudmouths just like them. I don’t really see a big distinction between the troll that starts the fight, and their targets that won’t drop the fight.

Wow……. well said!!!

Epic in fact.…… :+1:

That statement is surely one for us all to consider ‘WITL’. :slight_smile:

edit: to add “us” in last sentence.

I respect your opinion but I don’t entirely agree.
I don’t disagree with ReManG’s statement but by your following comment and this simplified view you’re essentially lumping trolls and those who challenge them into one basket. I realize that the end result of both is unnecessary added drama to a forum but I did not always know this and did not recognize trolls for what they were. Considering the diversity in the age group that makes up this great forum I personally believe it’s important to factor in that “trolls” are relatively new to some of us. I have learned to restrain myself more now that I understand “troll theory” but that was not always the case. In earlier times (not very long ago) I was simply responding to unjustified rude behavior purely out of a sense of standing up for what is right and not letting unnecessary cruelty to others go unchecked. A “knight in shining ignorance” if you will. I should trademark that. :sunglasses: Has a nice ring to it…

Genuine trolls should not be tolerated and should be reported to SB but as we have one moderator sometimes simply reaching out to someone via PM can make a world of difference. If this person is truly a troll then that will become clear very quickly but I’ve been pleasantly surprised on several occasions when I’ve taken the time to send a PM and tell someone that they might want to rethink a few things and keep it positive. I try to remember this myself as I get worked up at times too and have not always held my tongue. A friend here on the forum sent me a PM complimenting me on not engaging someone who was prodding. That simple encouragement has kept me from saying things that would not have added anything constructive aside from making me feel better in the moment. I think of it every time I want to “unleash” and it helps me to exercise a bit more patience. On several occasions now my non-reaction has resulted in the person who overstepped realizing what they had done and either in the thread or via PM retracting and/or apologizing.

As I am posting in this thread you realize I am not fond of trolls either. That said, if you aren’t absolutely certain you are in fact dealing with a troll it doesn’t hurt to reach out to someone in a PM and say “hey you might want to reign it in a bit”. For any of you who don’t know me you also now know that I talk a lot… :blush:

My opinion of this quote is different. No matter your contributions to the forum if it is overshadowed by disrespectful behavior, it is worthless. Why should the jerk be allowed on the forum because he contributes? People like the one described below are ones that I ignore.

Yep, very true. The trolls invariably react furiously when contacted via PM, and those that were just having a bad day almost always apologize and promise to try to be more careful.

of course, those are the ordinary common trolls

IMO, many people are far too quick to call “troll” when the read a post that disagrees with them in a harsh manner. I’ve been lurking here for a couple of years, and I’ve yet to see any real trolls. A few rude people, sure, and probably some real trolls that you erased before I saw any sign of them, but mostly this forum seems troll-free.

Youtube, facebook, news forums, etc., yeah, full of trolls, mostly poor ones.

These are the only true trolls, all others are wannabes

Yeah brother! :smiley: (on the talking alot part) But your really good at it! :beer: But I have seen cases where something was said, negatively, nobody engaged, and it went on being ignored. Rare as it is, it happens. I try very hard not to engage! It’s just not worth it! :innocent:

To me what WalkIntoTheLight says here is priceless.
He sums it up perfectly and we would all do well to really think about what he says. :wink:

Trolls usually get identified sooner or later, and don’t last long, even on a very free-speak forum like ours. Rude people remain rude, and fade out more slowly. Neither are an asset to this very brotherly forum. Those engaging the rude and/or trollish are usually trying to keep BLF as it has been, and as it should be.