When Shutting Up isn't Cowardice

I've been silent until now, but I really would miss him: he said, I was intelligent, and an academic, and most knowledgeable.

He said somethig less nice as well, but that's all forgotten.

And I really would miss the thrill .... is this new member him ....

Mr. Hinteler from Nazi Germany has a most pertinent point here.

This proves again that Thomas knows nothing about the situation outside of Bavaria.

That particular thread seems on the way to having more of the troll in question identities than the other participators combined.

All else aside, there's a certain irony going on here. Obviously, some folks persist in trollish behavior, and just as obviously - this thread case-in-point - other folks, in objection to trollish behavior, persist in providing trollish behavior precisely the recognition and response that encourages trollish behavior. Bait not taken is bait wasted, and one thing lotsa folks here seem loath to waste is bait.

Some threads digress naturally and come back from digression naturally; some of the general threads thrive on diversions. (I know, this question is in the politics forum.) With a troll, the posts are not only a diversion, but a kind of repeated hijack going on, and, depending on the thread substance, that can be very disheartening, not least to the initial thread poster. Whether silence works is fairly iffy - recently the troll has been speaking with itself at length.

These qualms aside, lack of troll food seems beneficial, if not a full answer to a multi-year problem.

Thumbprint...

Good grief...have you been ill?

:wink:

I agree with Joe on this one.

I don't want to be "brave" and remain silent while this angry, mentally-ill bastard multiplies like cancer and holds our discussions hostage and spreads his disease throughout all of our threads.

We tried to laugh off his newest incarnations of MarionT & Renatus5. Although resorting to humor may help to lighten the mood momentarily, it doesn't cure the disease. Laughing at his sockpuppetry only fuels his sickness.

MarionT was hatched on September 14, 2006, and now has 372 posts. That's nearly 10 posts per day. Renatus5 was hatched on October 12, 2006, and now has 33 posts to his name. Madison32 was hatched on October 20, 2006, and now has 39 posts to his name in only 2 days.

Madison32 spent 3 of those posts to crap all over my Rodriguez death penalty thread. He spammed my thread with a copy and paste from an irrelevant case, with a copy and paste a mile long from a disbarred attorney's website, and then he copied and pasted a response given to me on the relationship forum concerning an abusive relationship that my son endured some time ago.

I shared a problem that my son had with his abusive girlfriend on the relationship forum. That was a very emotionally traumatic time for both me and my son. I don't want that BASTARD to stalk me and to use my love for my son in his sick endeavors. Despite the kind and helpful responses I received at the time, this TROLL makes me regret asking for help to deal with my son's problem. He's turning this discussion haven into a hell.

I want him GONE. Until management cleanses this forum of that cancerous troll, I don't feel comfortable posting here anymore.

Debra, did you report that especially nasty action?

It's puzzling to me what the kinds of things the mods give a pass, and the kinds of things they clamp down on with a vengeance.

I sympathize with Debra on that.

See Dlowan's point, as well, did you report that?

I assume a/h is following this discussion too.

Hmmm. I pick up a general opinion, if not an across the board one, that people are generally sanguine about talking with folks who disagree with them in entirety. It's the vandal behavior that is the wrencher.
Many of us have, at one time or another, gotten a burr under saddle inspiring us to post in a flurry not wise in retrospect. How to identify, given a morpher, the sheer will to disrupt, and thus strike a line in the sand, given most of us value free speech.

I would think that threads like this provide the most satisfying meal a troll is ever likely to come across.

Everyone exhibits troll like behavior at one point or another. Anyone that gets overly worked up about it should probably have a think about their general use of the interweb.

Me, I find trolls vaguely amusing but, then again, I find all sorts of strange things amusing.

Yes

But, Adrian, you are not here that much. I recognize you and know you well enough to value your opinion. But I don't remember seeing one or more of your threads ruined.



This reminds me of some landuse criteria - that is, I judge by performance relative to rules: performance criteria. Not that you can't use concrete block or chain link fence with plastic slats, but that it can't be over (oh, say, making this up, 12 feet) at the front property line, because the visual blockage that comes with height affects community relations relative to private property rights, assuming that is what community/ownership/government established.

The T.O.S. takes care of a lot, re performance criteria. Perhaps it could be expanded, but I don't know quite how. I think there are rules enough already.

Has anyone been at a community that successfully enacted a silent moratorium against a troll? In theory, it seems like the most potent response.

IMO, as long as it's postings conform to the TOS, the bannination has done the trick. Reverting to form causes bannination....



However, as said before, the proliferation of free E-mail sites makes it too easy to generate a new E-mail address and thus a new screen name.

I think it's clear that the current methods are inadequate to dealing with this individual.

The question that the moderators must ponder is whether the problems created by this individual (and any other similar folks) are worth the resources that would be required to deal with the problem.

Some forum sites I've been on reject free email addresses. I use the MyFamily email when that's a requirement. Here, I'm using MSN Hotmail. Even that won't work every time, but it's one step to consider.

Only in Once-Upon-A-Time Land, I'm afraid.


In theory, it is. In practice, it would be - if ever it were to be practiced.