How about instead "ganging up" on them and "calling them out?" Yes, I understand that that would require a coordinated effort, but...
Regards,
Excellent!
Does this mean we can ignore Humblegunner’s diatribes against most all vanity and blog posts? ... Asking for a friend, of course.
;-)
My natural response is call them out. I don’t want the lie to stand. If you are right - deny them attention
Good idea. But it’s hard to ignore these bastards.
I “block” them on other social media. Sometimes they change identities and come back and I block them again.
I hate those bastards.
But you left out the other type. Those who go on social media, not for psychological need, but to steer opinion and thought like it's their job. And sometimes it is.
That's not the definition of 'troll', but something else. 'Shill' is one word for it. They do exist and they are here.
And they need exposing and punishment.
“It is as useless to argue with those who have renounced the use of reason as to administer medication to the dead.” - Jefferson
I just block -> report spam and move on. Anything else is time-inefficient.
But its so important to win arguments on the internet!
Go on about your life, secure in the knowledge that you have many fulfilling things to occupy your time and energies.
Smile at the thought of the troll, poised to spew their venom, deriving some sick pleasure from it. Yet denied the opportunity by your indifference. In fact the troll is further insulted by your utter disregard of their provocations - their thoughts and opinions mean so little to you that you cannot be bothered to respond and engage.
It is actually a little sad, yet satisfying and funny to think of their frustration.
$0.03 due to inflation
Great post! I would send this to some of who I think are guilty parties, but I don’t remember their screen names.
Some have a DO NOT RESPOND list. I try to remember who not to reply to. Sometimes I forget, sometimes I don’t. But, they are out there. Sad lives to be snarky, berating, rude. Sorta leads folks to the answer to: “Can’t we all just get along?”
Yoda: Why must you become troll, hmm?
Luke: Mostly because of my father, I guess.
My experience from just a few years back:
There is a “conservative” online political satirical comic strip that I had been reading for a couple of years, and I was really enjoying it, and I wanted to start recommending it to my friends and family. And then the author/cartoonist suddenly and without reason started putting in beaucoup nudity, including full frontal female nudity. The change was so sudden and unexpected that I wondered if the author/cartoonist had had a stroke or something, and wiped out his brain inhibitory behavior centers. I'm serious. I personally don't think it enhanced/enhances the strip, and it didn't stop me from reading it, although it did decrease my enjoyment of the otherwise political and very funny strip. Other readers, however, or at least those who post comments, sure loved/love it. But now, no way could I recommend that strip to others, with that going on. And I didn't want the MSM to start attacking the strip just because it had now gone all porn-y—that would just be too easy a way to belittle the satirical import of the strip, and I felt like it could have a significant and useful impact on non-conservative fence-straddlers regarding the ongoing presidential elections.
So I did the right thing, IMHO, and I posted in the strip's comments area that the nudity was unnecessary, didn't help, and in fact might be bad for the strip and the “cause” it was supporting (right-thinking, freedom-loving, constitutional-supporting, conservative America). And I used the words that came naturally to me, “ I am concerned that....”
I am not a social media user, except for FR in the last few years, and so I did not then honestly know what a “troll” was and had never heard the term, nor did I know there were subtypes.
So imagine my surprise when I was banned from the comments area as a “Concern Troll.” I had to google “troll” and “concern troll” then, to understand what the author/cartoonist and other commenters were saying about me!
I had to argue my viewpoint with the author/cartoonist to get my commenting privileges re-instated, and to repair my damaged on-line reputation, and it sure left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as I thought I was among friends and it wasn't my first comment--I hadn't just flown in to attack the site. I wasn't a person trying to demean or destroy the strip and its efforts, and I had never done anything like that before, there or elsewhere. But be sure that I won't every post an honest dissenting anti-porn comment there anymore.
So give people a chance, before banning or blocking them as “trolls,” until they prove by repeated or obviously intentional non-constructive and non-participatory comments, to express heart-felt opinions and offer explanations. Don't just immediately brand them a “troll” or “concern troll” or “DU operative” (and yes, some belligerent FR people have said that about me when I didn't toe the line on which radio personality is better and what 1st amendment activities constitute “cancel culture,” etc.). (I had to look up DU, too, and I've never been to that site or read that stuff, and certainly never would agree with what I think it says.)
The answer to trolls’ (bad) free speech, is more free speech, and when that fails, just to ignore “ugly” comments and behavior (to use my late mother's Southern expression for people unnecessarily rude or mean).
Ill bet you were a Hall monitor in 8th grade. 😆
Replying with a period “.” only often drives a troll insane.
We know SO MANY Freepers who are active in conservative causes who have quit FreeRepublic because of a certain little girl troll who jumps on everyone here. They have said they don’t need that crap, and moved on. It is like we have an active troll here from facebook, twitter, etc. She might be Jen Psaki. She is someone very harsh and ridiculous. But driving good Freepers away.
Tyrelle ~
Differing perspectives and discussion can be constructive to a topic concept. Everyone has the right as an individual to believe as they like. And be passionate about a topic that is very heartfelt. The problem comes in when someone has sadistic tendencies and enjoys causing others grief and harm just to cause grief and harm. They make someone their pet project to stalk and make every effort to assassinate their character as a priority over all else. There is a difference between conflicting opinions and direct personal attacks for no reason or basis.
These types are hard to just ignore because they are the type who would absolutely dox you if they could just for fun. These are the types who just never give up, follow you around with no rhyme or reason, and continue the personal attacks over and over even if you do try your best to ignore them. They are oblivious to the true overall harm they are causing for everyone else who is trying to conduct intelligent constructive dialog. At some point they have to be told to go away.
But I will be the first to admit that out of passion about a certain topic I am guilty of bashing the agenda and intentions of others. I think many of us have without intentions of being an actual troll. But it was not to be sadistic or disruptive and was always on topic.
bump for later
Karen
Yes, disagreement and belittling is no longer a valid way of enforcing social sanity.
Disagreement ist verboten. Mean words are verboten at all costs. SAY NOTHING!
Good thing you weren’t around when they put stupid people in stocks and conducted public hangings. You would have blown a hemroid in the mellon.