I was more annoyed with his bad grammar to be honest and the fact that I got three messages a day for a week.
Poll: Does anybody else like messing with trolls?
- Thread starter Viral_Lola
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The only time when it's acceptable to feed trolls is if a thread is already down the tube and you're honestly bored and responding for shits and giggles. In any other situation, it's inexcusable.
OT: Occasionally, when it amuses me. Trolling trolls is one of the sweeter things in life. Especially when they were going after you first.
Don't worry about that. When I see a post with rather poor grammar or a lack of an attempt to use capitalization, I just ignore that post completely. I don't do it because I think they're a troll, I just assume anyone with poor spelling is uneducated and not worth my time. Harsh, but I prefer a higher living of standard. I also love how I have a few friends that use text in the typical "lol omg u r funy" claim they can spell perfectly fine and have amazing grammar, they're just too lazy to do it when they text. Until they write up a formal report which they have me proof read for it, and find "In the 1900's, the world waz in perlil. Like all teh nations..."Viral_Lola said:
I don't say anything to them as a witty retort, I just smile, hand back their report and say "good paper, and good luck." They get so confused when it gets rejected or a failing grade later, it's hilarious! They even use spell check and ignore it!
As for trolls? I don't care. I just do whatever makes me laugh.
Depends on the situation but typically no. Even that attention gives them power. They feed off of it.
I work under the assumption that anyone who posts anything is a troll.
Just like people who play video games are gamers, people who post in forums are trolls.
Granted I didn't always think like that. The people I used to call trolls are shockers or raiders or what ever you call them (People who flood threads with disgusting images to scare off anyone who wants to discuss the topic)
Since I've started posting on the Escapist I've decided that everyone is a troll.
On ********* (I won't name the website mostly to avoid flame and secondly to keep you people away from it) everyone knew who the trolls were. The posters knew it, the trolls knew it, the moderators knew it.
On the Escapist NO ONE knows who the trolls are. The posters think everyone who disagrees with them is a troll, the Trolls think they're the only ones who aren't trolling, and the moderators think that only the people who get reported are trolls. And they're all wrong.
Case in point: If you disagree with this post it offends you. If you do agree with this post you're insensitive to all the offended people.
So I respond to the trolls that I would have responded to if they weren't trolls. And I respond in the way I would have responded anyway, I'm not the type of person to adjust my behavior to accommodate other peoples sensibilities. I often get called a troll by the people I talk to on this site. It makes me laugh at how painfully dull the conversations they must have in real life.
TLDR the Escapist forums are full of babies who need to grow up.
P.S. how did you get a death threat with a Knitting blog?
Just like people who play video games are gamers, people who post in forums are trolls.
Granted I didn't always think like that. The people I used to call trolls are shockers or raiders or what ever you call them (People who flood threads with disgusting images to scare off anyone who wants to discuss the topic)
Since I've started posting on the Escapist I've decided that everyone is a troll.
On ********* (I won't name the website mostly to avoid flame and secondly to keep you people away from it) everyone knew who the trolls were. The posters knew it, the trolls knew it, the moderators knew it.
On the Escapist NO ONE knows who the trolls are. The posters think everyone who disagrees with them is a troll, the Trolls think they're the only ones who aren't trolling, and the moderators think that only the people who get reported are trolls. And they're all wrong.
Case in point: If you disagree with this post it offends you. If you do agree with this post you're insensitive to all the offended people.
So I respond to the trolls that I would have responded to if they weren't trolls. And I respond in the way I would have responded anyway, I'm not the type of person to adjust my behavior to accommodate other peoples sensibilities. I often get called a troll by the people I talk to on this site. It makes me laugh at how painfully dull the conversations they must have in real life.
TLDR the Escapist forums are full of babies who need to grow up.
P.S. how did you get a death threat with a Knitting blog?
I usually try to ignore most trolls, but unfortunately many of those I encounter tend to be rather prolific. The occassional silly nonsense is tolerable (or occassionally funny), but prolonged exposure to stupidity-fueled arrogance will get to me. Depending on the situation, I may or may not intervene by pointing out all the faulty logic the troll has been using; since the cases which get to me tend to be chronic, that is often pointed out as well.
However, I'm usually trying to not incite the trolls myself (I just lack the malice needed to do that, regardless of if they do deserve it or not). Rather, I'm simply trying to get them to back them into a metaphorical corner. Most of the time, I aim to do this by denying this adage:
"Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring the conversation down their level and win through experience."
As noted before, trolls are seldom known for being knowledgable. By constantly forcing the debate into more intellectual arena, the troll can't continue to act as they normally would without making it clear that they are an idiot; the only other responses are to either continue the discussion in it's more eloquent state or simply stop altogether. It's very rare for a troll to step up their own game at this point, but at that point it becomes a battle of wits (hopefully you're ready for this one, because this can make things backfire on you spectacularly) rather than an attempt to piss off everyone on a forum.
However, one should be careful while using this approach to not fall into the trap of using ad hominem. The intent is to not troll the trolls, just to stop them from trolling by making the discussion a more intelligent one. This requires you to call them out on their bad behaviour, but you can't stop there without committing the fallacy yourself. As odd as seem, the solution to this problem is to help the trolls; give them advice for how to be more intelligent in their discussion, state which (if any) statements they have made are valid, and so on. If they don't heed your advice, it will demonstrate that the troll doesn't know what they're talking about.
Anyhow, that's how I deal with trolls.
However, I'm usually trying to not incite the trolls myself (I just lack the malice needed to do that, regardless of if they do deserve it or not). Rather, I'm simply trying to get them to back them into a metaphorical corner. Most of the time, I aim to do this by denying this adage:
"Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring the conversation down their level and win through experience."
As noted before, trolls are seldom known for being knowledgable. By constantly forcing the debate into more intellectual arena, the troll can't continue to act as they normally would without making it clear that they are an idiot; the only other responses are to either continue the discussion in it's more eloquent state or simply stop altogether. It's very rare for a troll to step up their own game at this point, but at that point it becomes a battle of wits (hopefully you're ready for this one, because this can make things backfire on you spectacularly) rather than an attempt to piss off everyone on a forum.
However, one should be careful while using this approach to not fall into the trap of using ad hominem. The intent is to not troll the trolls, just to stop them from trolling by making the discussion a more intelligent one. This requires you to call them out on their bad behaviour, but you can't stop there without committing the fallacy yourself. As odd as seem, the solution to this problem is to help the trolls; give them advice for how to be more intelligent in their discussion, state which (if any) statements they have made are valid, and so on. If they don't heed your advice, it will demonstrate that the troll doesn't know what they're talking about.
Anyhow, that's how I deal with trolls.
As an IRL troll and part time internet troll, I like playing along with a troll if I think it'll get other people riled up.
We used to do it all the time in on my WoW server with trade chat. Someone posts flaming remark, someone responds with ad homeniem attacks, and it just spirals out of control from there. Great fun is had by all.
We used to do it all the time in on my WoW server with trade chat. Someone posts flaming remark, someone responds with ad homeniem attacks, and it just spirals out of control from there. Great fun is had by all.
have been waiting for a thread like this ok here goes
I'm playing halo 3 online in the big 8 on 8 games where tanks are avalible.
Me:killing guys in a tank when some idiot jumps in front of my gun and stops me shooting then he just stands there and i go back to killing then he does it again and the i tun on my mike.
troll:HEY GET OUTTA THE FUKING TANK DO YOU HERE ME YOU
Me:i turned off the mike and he got a rocket launcher and blew me out.
i get into a chopper and get some more kills then later i die and spawn and thers a tank ripe for the taking and not long after hes jumping in front of my gun again so having learnt from my previous encounter i blew him to mars. then he rage quit after swearing into his mike for about a minute
I'm playing halo 3 online in the big 8 on 8 games where tanks are avalible.
Me:killing guys in a tank when some idiot jumps in front of my gun and stops me shooting then he just stands there and i go back to killing then he does it again and the i tun on my mike.
troll:HEY GET OUTTA THE FUKING TANK DO YOU HERE ME YOU
Me:i turned off the mike and he got a rocket launcher and blew me out.
i get into a chopper and get some more kills then later i die and spawn and thers a tank ripe for the taking and not long after hes jumping in front of my gun again so having learnt from my previous encounter i blew him to mars. then he rage quit after swearing into his mike for about a minute
I'm a fairly habitual troll feeder. I bring fierce burning reason to them, they gobble it up and shit out some intentional stupidity... we're both satisfied by this, because we both feel we've won. Me by being correct, them by... I honestly don't know what makes 'em tick, really.
