Has anyone figured out what motivates a troll? I have no idea, though I’ve been trying to understand. I don’t try too hard, though, since I have the feeling that I would be wasting effort.
One of my posts recently got a drive-by hit with a laundry list of grievances, real and imagined, and then 15 minutes later got a “Well, are you going to answer?” follow-up. I guess I’m supposed to be constantly monitoring the comments so I can respond immediately just in case someone with an axe to grind comes by. To that person, let me just say, I was still in bed. Sleep is wonderful, and if you can’t sleep, lying there is pretty good, too. Besides, he pooped elsewhere and got some responses from others more motivated than I (I imagine they’re at work somewhere, or have children to tend to, and have to be up early).
I think their problem is that we aren’t crying in our beer, wondering what we did wrong or whatever. My biggest concern is the survival of the Republic, not whether “my guys” won. I think many other people here feel the same. Trolls don’t get that, since it’s all about winning and losing to them. In any case, I have no plans to respond to them. It takes too long to unravel their “arguments” to get to some core truth we can agree on, if it even exists. I don’t have the energy for that these days.
But seriously, trolls, why the harsh? You won. Run with that. Go back to wherever it is you live and celebrate with your fellow travelers. Please.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to speak for anyone but myself. There may be many who like playing with the trolls. More power to them.
You are of course right, Cranky-d. They weren’t in this to win and then be able to do whatever the hell it is they want to do. They were in this to make us suffer from post-election selection trauma like they did in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
And like I said in a previous thread, denying them the satisfaction will turn out to be against the Geneva Conventions.
And there you have the troll’s primary motivation. They are partisan because that’s the jersey they were bought when they were kids, and they haven’t given the matter any rigorous consideration since.
I’m a partisan, but I don’t troll. I like to think I have too much class to really engage in what amounts to elementary school – junior high school behavior.
Now, a good rant, I’ll do that. Invigorates the blood.
I think that some trolls don’t even care much about winning or losing an argument. After all, many times, the obvious objective of many trolls is to try to derail a discussion, to change the subject.
Before the Internet, they would have ended up picking fights in bars. Now they drink at home and come here. It’s not progress, as the Pavlovian conditioning of physical violence does not exist to set boundaries on the infantile anger.
Unlikely, I think. The anonymity of the Internet allows you to virtually get into somebody’s face and say, “Hey, f*ck you and all who look like you.” I’ve been in a lot of bars, and have seen some fights, but I have very rarely seen someone just go barreling into another conversation and stir the shit.
I’m guessing they think that our fragile egos are going to be unable to handle their scintillating put-downs, and that we will go home and cry out our widdle eyes. (The problem with that, of course, is that an insult only truly hurts if it comes from someone for whom you have some sort of esteem. The vast numbers of trolls come off as college freshman, and sorry, I can’t be insulted by someone who’s stil using Oxy-Clean as a regular part of their grooming habits.)
I’m guessing it’s also related to the concept of spiking the ball in your opponent’s face. So, as always, we can blame Terrell Owens.
What really mystifies me is some of the people you see periodically in Roger Simon’s comments area – they come in, redolent in their intellectual superiority (you can hear the NPR-ish tones in their voices), seeking to “engage” and “dialogue.” Seriously, pal, we’ve all heard every freakin’ argument and counter-argument and counter-counter argument over the past 5 years, all made by people far more learned than you; you ain’t changing my mind, and I ain’t changing yours. So quit wasting my time and yours.
Personally, I find it more fun to not resort to any ad hominems at all. Because stupid is as stupid does.
Besides, most trolls live in a fantasy. Break the fantasy piece by piece and watch ‘em squirm.
Scotch on the rocks!
Must be compensating for something. Maybe they got too many wedgies in the lunchroom, or the cheerleaders laughed too hard at them.
Something.
Hostility.
Hey dorks… Just wanted to offer the troll’s perspective – you tough talking, hypocritical asses deserve your time in the wilderness. All of your purse clutching calls for bipartisanship are BS.
Yep – definite compensation going on. I think it was the wedgies.
It’s gotta be a self image thing.
I may have posted my theory before, but too bad.
I call them masochist trolls.
You see, a troll posts something totally idiotic (see the post by heet above).
Normal people react by hurling insults at them.
The troll sits down in Mom’s basement, reads the insults, and plays yankee-my-wankee.
Newflash tough guy – you jerks are not “normal people”. Normal people don’t spend hours on a blog trying to show each other how fucking cool they are. What I want to know is, when someone finally wins the award for “Most Clever Pseudo-Intellectual”, will you shut this place down?
I still think they troll ‘cause they have all those nightmares about the wedgies they got.
Or the football team sticking them in their lockers. I mean, read heet’s comments. He’s still standing there in an empty room and squeaking “Hey, you think you’re so tough? Well, come on, show me how tough you are! What, are you chicken? You’re chicken, I knew you were!”
Trolls are kind of pathetic, really.
I was fairly tolerant of lefties who seemed insane two years ago. It can be hard to be a gracious loser because losing can drive you nuts. But I don’t understand how someone can find it difficult to be a civil winner. If you’re an asshole after a victory, you’re just an asshole.