I really just do not understand them. Why are they here? What purpose do they serve on this forum? Why do they still have the ability to post here despite the fact that they have yet to contribute anything of any value to the forum?
There are a few here that I can think of off the top of my head. All they do is go on various threads and post things that are disrespectful and purposely try to provoke arguments. So, I just am wondering what it takes for the mods to ban someone that is obviously here for the sole prupose of being a troll and is not contributing anything remotely positive to any of the discussions.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some just get off on ramming it down other people’s throats. There is no one right answer or right opinion, contrary to the way trolls think.
I agree, if you have nothing of value to add, don’t add it. But at the same time I enjoy learning others opinions, even if they are warped, twisted, and blatantly wrong. Challenges your own way of thinking and forces you to defend your opinion and really think about why you think the things you do.
Trolls give us a reason to check the thread that they’re posting on. Admit it. Everyone hates trolls, but most everyone will keep going back to that thread and reading what they wrote.
As to what erica said, I think there are alot of misunderstandings. The internet doesn’t translate sarcasm that well and I think people tend to get a little too sensitive when the poster was just joking around. Also alot of people are just dicks.
[quote]Ericka wrote:
So, I just am wondering what it takes for the mods to ban someone that is obviously here for the sole prupose of being a troll and is not contributing anything remotely positive to any of the discussions.
[/quote]
You guys seldom see the real trolls. Their posts never make it past the mods. Sometimes it takes a few posts before a troll is spotted, but they are taken care of in time (a couple this week, I believe.)
Now, there are those that simply have no social skills or are assholes, sure. Those types love the Internet because they get less teeth knocked out through this medium. But that’s not really a troll.
Let the troll vs. jerk debate begin!
And feel free to PM any admin/mod on duty (see bottom of screen) if you think you’ve spotted a troll. Usually our mods know who to keep an eye on though.
TROLL:
An outrageous message posted to a newsgroup or mailing list or message board to bait people to answer. Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it.
[quote]SicTorn wrote:
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some just get off on ramming it down other people’s throats. There is no one right answer or right opinion, contrary to the way trolls think.
I agree, if you have nothing of value to add, don’t add it. But at the same time I enjoy learning others opinions, even if they are warped, twisted, and blatantly wrong. Challenges your own way of thinking and forces you to defend your opinion and really think about why you think the things you do.[/quote]
Well, for starters, trolls aren’t the regular folk that have opinions people happen to disagree with.
They are the ones that are simply disagreeable and don’t have anything constructive to offer. No advice. No help. Just crapping on someone or something either for personal satisfaction or to draw others into a useless bitchfest.
Anyhow, I know many people know this, but I’m really convinced a fair number apply it to people with opposing viewpoints.
If I’m wrong, kick my ass a few times, I don’t mind.
Better yet, find a few of the folks that just come on to insult people who have actually achieved things, such as some of our women posters, and dump all over them and their lifestyle.
I won’t mind if you kick them in the ass a few times also.
Don’t like my description?
An “Internet troll” or “Forum Troll” is a person who posts outrageous messages to bait people to answer. Forum Trolls delight in sowing discord on the forums. A troll is someone who inspires flaming rhetoric, someone who is purposely provoking and pulling people into flaming discussion. Flaming discussions usually end with name calling and a flame war.
Maybe there are “degrees” or “levels” of trolls???
I don’t look at a true troll as someone who simply baits people…or someone who delights in sowing discord. While this type of person can often be annoying…and can clearly “hi-jack” the true meaning of a thread, they are not nearly as bad as “The Destroyer”…
This is the Troll whose life seems almost totally consumed in destroying anything and everything that a Website may be trying to accomplish…
Face it, forums are in many ways representations of real society. You have the same kinds of people, interacting verbally in many of the same ways. You have intelligent folk, you have fools, you have hostility. But in a forum, I belive, the abilty to assume a new identity, the seeming anonimity (? on spelling), leads people to write and post what they would or could not ever say in the “real” world. Hence the mild mannered guy who wouldn’t argue with you if you spit in his face, becomes a flaming, Hell bent destroyer troll when he logs on.
A question to ponder. Do you think that the language and verbage used by people when they post on a forum is actually how this person would speak to you if you sat down at a table to talk to them? My guess, for the most part, is yes.
I like Shugarts take on this,and the definition presented by Vroom.In a regular face to face discussion, if someone interupted the way some trolls do, that person would get stomped. On the other hand, I can become an asshole if I’m agitated, sleepy, ect., but it realy isn’t intentional. With trolls it seems to always be intentional.The one thread-“So Many” or something like that, looked like a total troll thread.The guy that started that came blasting off with some realy bold and un-ambiguous statements that were designed to start something.
UGH! These people have no life and I’m certain they exist only to provoke and instigate. They get a twisted enjoyment out of either beginning a trash thread or hi-jacking one!
I believe their ultimate purpose is to leave a stagnant trail of ugliness everywhere they go while watching forum members eventually turn on each other in an attempt to re-establish the peace.
I can imagine one sitting in front of their computer screen lurking in the forum shadows like a sniper, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump while snarling and heckling like The Joker.
We’ve been getting “a few” on one of the forums I frequent and I tell ya, it’s hard NOT to get into it with them at times, especially when they have it in for one of your friends. Grrrr…
