Troll Threshold

POSTED BY: AnthonyT
UPDATED: Thursday, October 2, 2025 14:14
VIEWED: 10983
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AURAPTOR

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 4:17 PM

Quote:
The real trolls are usually easily identified...they put "Pirate" in some part of their screename

Ding!Ding!Ding!

Might not cover every troll, but a fair 90%, is my guess.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

DEEPGIRL187

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 4:45 PM

This isn't quite on topic, but I thought of it while reading.

Something that's bothered me (and this might just be my own perception) is the fact that some of the people that frequent the RWE don't seem to post elsewhere. I think the intense discussions here might cause some people to be perceived as trolls, when in fact they just have strong opinions. Not saying that one can't post solely in one area, but some of us that frequent other parts of the forum only see one side of the RWE folks.

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"If you want to win a war, you must serve no master but your ambition."

CITIZEN

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 6:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Just what is the 'Troll threshold' here where someone is labeled a troll? What are the criteria used, exactly?

* Having a discussion is impossible with them.
* If they fail to cause a flame war they bow out and try elsewhere (If they're opponent actually keeps their temper and attempts to keep on the subject they stop responding).
* When they post on a thread it means a flame war is almost guaranteed within a few posts.
* Ad Hominem attacks are near exclusively more a feature of their posts than any attempt at substantive discussion.
* Nearly every post to someone who disagrees to their stance is always heralded with idiot or a synonym.

All clearly disruptive to any possible discussion, all consistently shown by certain posters. I happen to define a Troll as someone who goes out of their way to disrupt debate so consistently that it has to be deliberate and purposeful.

I'd also mention that since I've decided not to respond to certain posters with anything more than “please don't feed the Trolls” the number of Flame wars I've found myself in have dropped away immensely. In fact I don't think I've been in a one since, I may be wrong but no incidents are apparent. As such I feel fairly secure in my assessment of some posters.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

SIGMANUNKI

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 7:38 PM

I agree that the term is somewhat overused today. Not really just here, but everywhere. I personally think that "troll" is a fuzzy term that defies definition to a certain (large?) degree.

But, as has be stated above, people will behave from time to time like a troll. They might be having a bad day, or someone hit a nerve, or... This doesn't exactly mean that they /are/ a troll, just that they are behaving like one.

But, once someone is pretty much just behaving in a way that is contrary to productive discussion, then they /are/ a troll.

Sometimes, it might be as simple as the wording used. Such as starting a sentence with "Listen, ". This gives a rather adversarial tone to the post straight off. One that can't really be shaken.

The problem here is that the "good" trolls post in such a way as to not appear like a troll. It's not that they is a definition, or a threshold. But, people can typically point to one.

Personally, I think that if people would just take greater care with the words they choose before they hit post, a lot of this problem would go away.

At lest that's my opinion.

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

SIGNYM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 8:12 PM

There are three useful things to do with trollish behavior:

1) Sympathize
2) Ignore
3) Stay on-topic and refuse to be diverted

In this forum I prefer the last approach because I find few genuine trolls here. I think some people are just so emotionally enmeshed with their own arguments that they can't put any distance between themselves and a topic, so disagreements turn into bar fights instead of discussions.

The one troll who DOES operate here is very skillfull and makes a show of being "reasonable".

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Reality sucks. Especially when it contradicts our cherished ideas.

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 8:35 PM

Quote:
I'd also mention that since I've decided not to respond to certain posters,....the number of Flame wars I've found myself in have dropped away immensely.

Zero is the number I'm thinking of here,for my part.

Quote:
As such I feel fairly secure in my assessment of some posters.

As do I. Now more than ever.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

SIGNYM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 8:48 PM

breathe deep and release

---------------------------------
Reality sucks. Especially when it contradicts our cherished ideas.

CITIZEN

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 11:51 PM

The troll is sayin' it ain't been in any flame wars, that's just funny.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.

RUE

Wednesday, February 28, 2007 12:12 AM

"There are three useful things to do with trollish behavior:

1) Sympathize
2) Ignore
3) Stay on-topic and refuse to be diverted"

I don't have the time to babysit.

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I think the reason WHY people use the word TROLL more often is b/c a couple of times there was a consensus that some people WERE trolls. And the power of social disapproval worked. One troll reformed and another is nearly much gone.

RUE

Wednesday, February 28, 2007 12:15 AM

To add:

"I don't have the time to babysit."

Some people may consider this trollish. But it is merely my honest response to the topic. For a long while I tried the 'reasonable' approach, like dealing with misbehaved children. But it took a lot of time and got nowhere. So now I just say what I mean.

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