Professional Trolls

@wolfe63 said
Why do we, the kind-hearted and wise of the cyber-population; frequently fall prey to the intentional provocations of undeserving, attention-seeking rabble-rousers?

Because ignoring them is not feasible, they just invade every thread and post regardless.
Moderators are loath to ban people doing that, when they claim, that they are "just discussing" what they don't do....

@ponderable said
Because ignoring them is not feasible, they just invade every thread and post regardless.
Moderators are loath to ban people doing that, when they claim, that they are "just discussing" what they don't do....

So, we must ourselves, continue to fight the good fight by sinking into the mud with them? But I always feel so dirty afterward. 🐷

There's got to be a better way.

@wolfe63 said

There's got to be a better way.

Why not start a club and invite all the people who’s posting you approve of and exclude the few you don’t?

Then when someone makes a post you disapprove of, the core group will turn on them and in the fallout you could pose the passive-aggressive question: “perhaps this club is not for you...?” And if they don’t leave you always have the eject button.

@wolfe63 said
So, we must ourselves, continue to fight the good fight by sinking into the mud with them? But I always feel so dirty afterward. 🐷

There's got to be a better way.

Clatter is the inevitable companion of music, and spam is the inevitable companion of intelligent discussion. It's the price open society pays to be free of thoughtcrime and gulags.

@wolfe63 said
Why do we, the kind-hearted and wise of the cyber-population; frequently fall prey to the intentional provocations of undeserving, attention-seeking rabble-rousers?

Posters could simply ignore the posts of those that have proven themselves to be incapable of rational argument on certain topics.
The majority of us posters might fall into this category so a blanket ban or embargo of their threads and posts might be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

@kevcvs57 said
Posters could simply ignore the posts of those that have proven themselves to be incapable of rational argument on certain topics.
The majority of us posters might fall into this category so a blanket ban or embargo of their threads and posts might be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

It's the perennial problem of group function.
If people just ignored what they felt needed it great.
If people stopped trying to rescue those who get caught up in not ignoring great.
If people stopped trying to educate the rescuers great.
If people stopped comparing notes with friends about how it's going great.
If people stopped experiencing that as cliquey subgrouping great.
If people could tolerate difference great.

It's kind of like if people just ate right no obesity or health problems.

I used to think if people just did the right things I'd be out of work, so I'm in a job for life. 😁

@relentless-red said
It's the perennial problem of group function.
If people just ignored what they felt needed it great.
If people stopped trying to rescue those who get caught up in not ignoring great.
If people stopped trying to educate the rescuers great.
If people stopped comparing notes with friends about how it's going great.
If people stopped experiencing that as cliquey subgr ...[text shortened]...
I used to think if people just did the right things I'd be out of work, so I'm in a job for life. 😁

Not sure it’s as complex as that we know the posters, certainly on this forum, just don’t bite. It’s a personal choice and a personal responsibility. But we cannot accuse someone of being a troll if we keep replying to their trolling posts.
I say this at the same time as I am literally replying to trolling posts in a couple of other threads 😔

The post that was quoted here has been removed

...and the other shoe dropped...

@kevcvs57 said
Not sure it’s as complex as that we know the posters, certainly on this forum, just don’t bite. It’s a personal choice and a personal responsibility. But we cannot accuse someone of being a troll if we keep replying to their trolling posts.
I say this at the same time as I am literally replying to trolling posts in a couple of other threads 😔

Some people will say, "don't feed trolls". Trolls thrive on attention, even negative attention. I myself have a personal NRNR (no-read no-reply) list. As with tumors, there are two different kinds of trolls: benign and malignant.

The benign ones just litter threads with chatter, and we know who they are; there is no need to reply to them. The malignant ones litter threads with lies, slander, and defamation. Lies that they may (or may not) themselves genuinely believe. It is important to push back against the malignant ones. Replying to trolls is tedious, I know, and I don't always have the patience for it. It is futile in the sense that one never changes their minds; trolls are impervious to logic, evidence, horse sense, and compassion.

However, systematically ignoring malignant trolls has a serious consequence which has been on display for all to see in the four years of Trumpism and its immediate (clear and present) aftermath: a false narrative was put about, aided and abetted by Russian agents, who bombarded Internet forums with so much disinformation that the truth was drowned out. A significant segment of the U.S. voting population was taken in by this propaganda campaign and even now believes the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election. This has been documented by federal agencies studying the last two U.S. elections. Yes, I know, some Republicans deny this, saying there was no collusion. But it's not about whether Trump colluded with Russian agents or personally knew he was being duped; he was an all-too-willing dupe to this false narrative. The point is, if sensible people do not speak out and push back against malignant disinformation and those who propagate it, it takes hold.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently told lawmakers that domestic violent extremism is the greatest threat to the U.S. and its democratic institutions, and these are the very people who bought into the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election. Republican politicians are even now attempting to restrict voting in many states, under the cover of 'protecting' the voting system. They've got it completely backwards. The voting system itself was never compromised, neither in 2016 nor in 2020. There was no widespread tampering with the ballots or the tally. It was the public's consciousness which was tampered with, in both elections, by the widespread propagation of lies, by trolls.

It's happening and it's destroying America from within. That is why it is important to continue to push back against trolls, that others may not be taken in by their lies and disinformation. As tedious as it is to respond to them, constant vigilance is the price of freedom.



https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/politics/white-supremacy-racism-asian-americans/index.html


https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/politics/domestic-violent-extremism-threat-assessment/index.html

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Where did you hear that?

Please be precise.