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abuse
November 2009 
poking at trolls!!
Posted on Aug 3rd, 2008
by 
boogie
boogie
okay, everyone. sharpen your sticks.
let's go hunting for trolls!!
from wiki:
what happens is they play on your emotion. the words they use, nobody could disagree with what they are saying (i will explain this a bit more later on). but they say it in such a way as to stop you from thinking. they use logical fallacies, and they are real good at it, usually. instead of attacking the argument, they attack the person's character instead. they use words that are packed with ooomph for lack of a better term. words that elicit reaction, emotional response. they misdirect, trying to take you off the subject at hand. they attack, so when you attempt to defend yourself, they call you a bad person because "you are so defensive"...
they use words that mean nothing (like love, god, vague words that mean something different to each person). they sometimes make up big fancy sounding words that nobody understands, so nobody will argue against them. nobody wants to admit they don't understand what they are saying, because they talk real fancy, so they don't say anything at all. they love platitudes, those "wise" sayings that have been repeated to the point where everyone has heard them but nobody really knows what it means. and yes, there is truth in what they say, that's the rub. but the truth they say is off topic usually. they steer the conversation away from what is really important. just for the drama of it.
they are emotional vampires and they feed off causing problems. they live for the drama. there are message forums devoted to the task of stalking people online and stirring the shit wherever they go. i have never come across one that was not co-dependent with the accompanying baggage and control issues that comes along with that. treat them the same way you treat any other toxic person you meet. bear in mind that passive-aggressive control tactics are the hardest to spot, and also the hardest to defuse, especially if you find yourself in a pile of trolls, all chomping at your heels.
don't play their game...
...unless, of course, it's fun for you to poke at them!
some things i tell myself when dealing with troll-type people:
they will tell you the rules you should play by, (you must be "nice" or you are a bad person) but you don't have to obey. you owe no respect to anyone who does not show you the same courtesy.
got that stick ready yet?
woooooooooot
let's go hunting for trolls!!
troll
from wiki:
An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and usually irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response[1] or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.[2]we've had them here before, but they usually don't stay long. there was one, if you recall, in that "what is anarchy?" post of mine before... called himself Dan York. didn't post anywhere but comments on my blog, all of them similar in tone and intent. the zaadz powers-that-be banned his butt, but i begged them to let him play. it was fun. he wasn't quite as good at eliciting an emotional response as this more recent troll encounter.
what happens is they play on your emotion. the words they use, nobody could disagree with what they are saying (i will explain this a bit more later on). but they say it in such a way as to stop you from thinking. they use logical fallacies, and they are real good at it, usually. instead of attacking the argument, they attack the person's character instead. they use words that are packed with ooomph for lack of a better term. words that elicit reaction, emotional response. they misdirect, trying to take you off the subject at hand. they attack, so when you attempt to defend yourself, they call you a bad person because "you are so defensive"...
they use words that mean nothing (like love, god, vague words that mean something different to each person). they sometimes make up big fancy sounding words that nobody understands, so nobody will argue against them. nobody wants to admit they don't understand what they are saying, because they talk real fancy, so they don't say anything at all. they love platitudes, those "wise" sayings that have been repeated to the point where everyone has heard them but nobody really knows what it means. and yes, there is truth in what they say, that's the rub. but the truth they say is off topic usually. they steer the conversation away from what is really important. just for the drama of it.
they are emotional vampires and they feed off causing problems. they live for the drama. there are message forums devoted to the task of stalking people online and stirring the shit wherever they go. i have never come across one that was not co-dependent with the accompanying baggage and control issues that comes along with that. treat them the same way you treat any other toxic person you meet. bear in mind that passive-aggressive control tactics are the hardest to spot, and also the hardest to defuse, especially if you find yourself in a pile of trolls, all chomping at your heels.
don't play their game...
...unless, of course, it's fun for you to poke at them!
some things i tell myself when dealing with troll-type people:
- don't feed them your energy, don't play their game.
- don't reply if you find your temper rising.
- stop.
- think.
- and then reply without that immediate emotional response in the way.
- don't repeat the same thing over and over, they will continue to ignore it.
- don't reply at all if you can't keep your emotions from preventing you from thinking through exactly what it is you want to say.
they will tell you the rules you should play by, (you must be "nice" or you are a bad person) but you don't have to obey. you owe no respect to anyone who does not show you the same courtesy.
got that stick ready yet?
woooooooooot
Access: PublicTagged with: hunt, hunting, trolls, troublemakers, mind-control, shit-stirring, misinfo, lies, abuse, control
Those trolls have taken over a lot of our society and politics, not only the internet.
Thank you, Stacey….
many blessings,
CG
Woooooot! =)
I got my pointy stick ready.
I think I've only had one so far…
Don't look them directly in the eyes. :-D
good reference site “a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control”
educate yourself.
if we continue to deny such behaviors are abusive, we cannot heal from them.
all of us.
Well, I've got my my very calculated and double-edged tongue sword ready … there are several on this site for sure. (singing) Let's go trolling, let's go trolling … let's ROLL the TROLL. Woo-hoo!
Yeah, Boogie - they talk real pretty but drain the living shit out of ya. Learned this recently in a blog that I'll not post in again. Many people are fooled by their behavior. The discernment level here often seems lacking. Yeah, don't feed the trolls. I'm not sure this would work.
Now that I think about it, I think I'll just call 'em a troll and be done with it. That is the visual identifier for the ones of us with the sticks. Yeah, that's what I'll do! I ain't a feared a no troll, anoying little bastards.
Stacy you have so stuck it, whip it…
I must find a euphemism for trolls…lets see, hmmmmmm
Well, it will come.. count on it…
I'm all for sharping my little stick, well it's not that little..and having me some fun.
Have you ever heard of a Uterus troll?
me neither until just now, Satya them little bastards are annoying as hell, aren't they?
;-)
Stacey,
I'm also sharpening my stick!
Great post…
I especially liked the section where you tell how to deal with troll-like people. LOL! Thank you for the reminders… somtimes I accidentally feed them my energy and play their game… then I wake up!
FastDart…
I'm so laughing my ass off right now about your Uterus Troll link…
Thanks for the great laugh!
XD
ROFL
i have the giggles something fierce this morning.
now… hm… what kind of bait should i use?
they really liked that “what is anarchy” thread… haha
:-)
Boogie & FastDart - love the blog and the Uterus Troll video.
Boogie, you've opened up a can of worm but I'm opening up this just for them trolls.
You are, as always, incredibly clear and funny and true.
I have come back to this article again, Stacy. This is really an excellent bit of work!
blessings,
CG
Ok Stacy I'm back and have found out quite more then I ever envisioned about trolls.
t.R.o.L.L.s
I've been a setting bait and they seem to just love the cheese…;-)
Great Post! Deep Bows with my hands folded.
for more information (please don't count on wiki as the end-all be-all source for information, but it's a good place to start): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
when the words are true, there is a mathematical precision to language. it's called LOGIC. Trolls (and politicians and lawyers and other such troll-like creatures) love using logical fallacies in their arguments. if you recognize such attacks on reason for what they are, you are less likely to fall prey to them.
I forget now who called this blog to my attention but I am very very happy they did and thank whoever it was !!!!
Excellent excellent description, analysis, and fabulous recommendations and great comments !!!! My old spiritual teachers used to recommend “Do not engage.” Sometimes action is called for, but ignored trolls usually go elsewhere, if they aren't getting fed.
Trolls as described here are one form of energy vampire, discussed in this other thread a bit more seriously.
But I am a bit confused on the jargon, because isn't the verb “trolling” used to mean searching for a particular kind of person, as guys troll for interesting gals??
Blessings, OM Bastet
OM, I aways check this source out for the current vernacular on any subject relating to the Internet.
Hey! Stacy I found the word. troll=asshole
I knew it would come to me…;-)
Waiting for the landslide, ~lars
“trolling” is to drag a fishline behind your boat. it's considered by many to be in poor sportsmanship. this is what the internet trolls do, they bait you into an emotional reaction…
they also often have tendencies towards online stalking, hunting down certain individuals or types to prey upon. i tend to draw them like flies, by posting my controversial thoughts on controversial subjects… maybe they see that as an invitation, i don't know.
so the easy solution is to not take their bait. but sometimes they can be most persistent, then it's time to sharpen those sticks and point out to them, and everyone else, exactly what it is they are doing. (hint, hint, click the tag “troll” for more posts!)
regarding the same sort of emotional manipulation in real-life… (i don't post in pods, i get sucked in, my internet addiction doesn't need the fodder) well, i've been pondering a blog about the differences between co-dependency and abuse. this is how i deal with my own family. anyone can be an abusive person. anyone. but, it takes two to be codependent. like as was advised with the internet trolls, i simply refuse to engage.
oh, yeah, sure. most of my family hates me now, but i've always been the one they blamed for everything, anyway. at least now they aren't calling me with their unending stream of crisis after crisis and their never-ending “need” for help (but the only help they want is money, and i'm not giving it to them because it doesn't help. it gets spent and then they just need more later)…. i had to simply put my foot down and say “i don't owe you anything, just because we are related. i am so NOT my sister's keeper (nor her saviour).”
in reply to a trollish sort at another forum, i said the following, and it has been mentioned in this thread already, but bears repeating:
L Ron Hubbard said (i believe it was in the introduction to Dianetics, but don't hold me to that) that if you want to get people to agree with you, what you should do is use big fancy-sounding words they don't understand. Rather than admit that what you are saying makes no sense to them, and possibly making themselves appear foolish, they will pretend to agree, or at least be afraid to disagree with you. he said that if real words aren't working well enough, just invent some new ones. hahahaha
oh, yeah, sure. most of my family hates me now, but i've always been the one they blamed for everything, anyway. at least now they aren't calling me with their unending stream of crisis after crisis and their never-ending “need” for help (but the only help they want is money, and i'm not giving it to them because it doesn't help. it gets spent and then they just need more later)….
Story of my life!!! Makes us some strong and a force to be reckoned with.
And ohboyohboyoboy you should see the weird words one troll uses in a pod I'm a member of. I don't know why the members humour him…but there's that co-dependency thing!!! (I told him off in my sarcastic but humourous but peaceful way, LOL)…now he just blatantly disses everyone, but I guess they like that sh**.
I ignore him now…but he is a spectacular specimen. :-D
Inquiring troll hunters want to know..or is that Inquiring minds?
oh, and since we were replying at the same time, i failed to mention in my earlier comments just how much i am enjoying that Urban Dictionary link, Lars!!! funny stuff!
LOL at #3:
Act of appearing on internet forums and boards with malicious intent. Trolling includes…
-batting people to flame at you
-putting the forum down and encouraging people to leave.
-flaming
-spamming
-using several identities on a board to support your own arguments / stage pretend arguments
-generally being a dick on a power trip.
Some trolls claim they actions benefit others. These trolls are also twats
and here, we have the definitions of trolls.
i'm particularly fond of this one:
One who purposely and deliberately (that purpose usually being self-amusement) starts an argument in a manner which attacks others on a forum without in any way listening to the arguments proposed by his or her peers. He will spark of such an argument via the use of ad hominem attacks (i.e. 'you're nothing but a fanboy' is a popular phrase) with no substance or relevence to back them up as well as straw man arguments, which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue.
Omigod, yes, this one is on a total power trip…he is “helping all of mankind” and we should be eternally grateful (puuuuuuke).
Oh…another red flag…he just said he never reads the other posts. Heh.
Finally, after months, someone finally asked him what the hell he means by the weird way he writes. :-D
Stacy, what was said under “twat” in the Urban Dictionary is friggin hilarious, hahahaha.
Dang, get the slang right at least :-P (in the 'examples')
excellent post!
i never considered calling them trolls. very fitting! i think the fact that people spend their time trying to rile people up - causing strife for no reason - is pretty pathetic. but i have to admit that sometimes i do visit forums and comments sections just to laugh AT the trolls and their sorry attempts. some of the the things people write are laughable, but there are incendiary ones. it's just sad that is what gets people up in the morning.
FastDart, I bookmarked that Dictionary for myself and so it's now in the community bookmarks along with 20-30K others !!! Most useful and amusing. Thanks !!!!
“Trolling” has so many different meanings, I never knew. Gotta be sure one's listeners know which meaning one is using.
Yes, we mustn't forget it all started in fishing in real life !!!
Resurrected1, there is a bit of history there you might not be aware of. Most of us just don't engage. But it is always appropriate to email the Cultivator of a pod to discuss why someone who appears problematical is still around in a pod. There are a variety of perspectives possible…….
Hey, boogie, that is a marvelous distinction between abuse and co-dependency, the latter is a dance, takes two to tango as they say.
Namaste, OM Bastet
P.S. to Resurrected1: Check carefully. I don't see any humoring or co-dependency going on at all; if you do, please let the Cultivator or moderator know. If it started seriously, it would be dealt with by PM by Cultivator or moderator. And “telling off” seems to bounce off a shield, makes no difference…. Such is the nature of such folks…..
To all: I myself prefer not engaging to the employing of a sharp stick, which seems like a drain on my energy, as these folks are indeed impervious. I have better uses for my energy, generally. Unless called by my inner guidance to engage.
But a silver bullet or silver stake now, perhaps…… :) They are vampires, after all !!!!!
Namaste, OM Bastet
OM, yes ma'am :-D
And I really don't poke trolls with a pointy stick.
Or look them directly in the eyes.
I TRY to live and let live. ;-)
But I won't willingly let vampires bite :-D
Points taken, Thank You.
Yeah never mind all that..what about my verruca?….It's causing me some right old gyp i can tell ya…..see i caught it at the pool about six months……
Sorry gotta go….there's been a cave-in at the armoury where i keep me clubs…
J x
i don't do non-aggression. non-violent, certainly. but if someone tries to bully me in the comments of my own blog (my personal space), i will fight back. if someone tries to abuse my children, walking away is not good enough. they need to know that Mommy don't take no shit off nobody, and why i feel it is important to not allow people to play those control games.
it's only a drain on your energy if you allow it to be, if you start playing into the game of control or be controlled. there's always other options. and yes, i do believe my one voice makes a difference, else i wouldn't keep shouting so damn loudly… if i thought, for one moment, that my voice doesn't count, then my speaking out would indeed be a drain on my energy.
i will tolerate no abusive behavior. it really is that simple. i do not have to be a victim, nor an abuser. i do not have any need to feel “in control” of any being or situation. that's what pisses them trolls off so much about me, why they come and push my buttons. they want to see me explode, but usually aren't prepared for the fallout… hahahaha
Sounds like an idiot I knew who came into my office when I lived in MA and wanted to “discuss” politics, just to get a rise out of me. He was a staunch republican and hated liberals. He would spout illogical facts, and when asked where he got them, he said:”in an email”…okay. Sure buddy…we all know email is so reliable! He was also a racist, and his opinionated sense of self was so inflated, he could hardly fit his head through the door! LOL He was an ugly troll…one that needed several pointy sticks!
As far as emotional manipulation, there is none worse than women. Sorry, it is true, at least in my experience. When I have worked with men, they have not been found to be “gossipy and cruel” as some of the women I worked with. There seems to be some silly feeling of oneupwomanship occurring. One time, a woman stopped me at work to ask me something that was none of her business, and as I started to reply, she lit into me and told me she already knew the answer and If she was my boss…blahblahblah. She was not my boss and I could have filed a union grievance on her behavior. Additionally, the next time she saw me she continued her rant. She was a bitch.
I know it is a general statement, but the worst trolls I know personally are women. And of course, I take exception to many women here on Gaia who are not like this at all….thank goodness…and that is why this place continues to inspire me a great deal…
:)
Wise and insightful folks here…
SUPER thanks!
Great blog entry.
Blessings, David