The Troll Void

[Szykneij]

Is it true of only this board or all discussion boards in general that it's impossible not to have a resident troll active at all times? It seems as soon as one obnoxious personality is either banned or eventually tires of continually subjecting others to ridicule, condescension, and/or gutter talk, another soon arises to fill the void. It's as if there are "trolls-in-waiting", or latent trolls -- usually posters who are already here -- just drooling for their chance to step in when the reigning agitator takes his leave -- (but not right away, of course, in case the alpha-troll is only in hibernation and suddenly reappears from under the bridge.)
  If the crew from Criminal Minds had the job of profiling the troll, what would the description emerge as? Definitely male. I've yet to encounter a female troll, or at least an openly female one. Older hen-pecked husband or younger loveless geek? That might account for their feeling of powerlessness in the real world, which drives them to enter threads with the sole intention of soiling what others might value. They act somewhat like a graffiti vandal who devalues the walls of others, but in a much more cowardly way since there is real danger in the tagger getting caught while the troll remains safe in his anonymity. So where does the thrill come from, then, for the troll? Does trolling give him a feeling of power in an otherwise impotent life?

[Scarpia]

Definitely male. I've yet to encounter a female troll, or at least an openly female one.

What about Teresa and her Mozart-baiting? 

[Szykneij]

What about Teresa and her Mozart-baiting?

True. I forgot about her. There goes one theory, then. 

[Gurn Blanston]

We had a female troll right here on this site last summer. Or at least she claimed to be female...

In general, I agree with your assessment. As a mod here for 6+ years now, I have seen a whole bunch of trolls and wanna-be's come and go. Who can forget...   



edit: ah, I see Scarp beat me to it!

[Brian]

There don't seem to be any active at the moment, actually. I thought this thread would be a celebration of the comparative quiet. 

I've never been on a forum that didn't have a troll. I think it's rather reflective of human nature: there is always an extreme end of any spectrum, and if you take personality to be distributed along a bell curve, there will always be extreme personalities. The extreme apathetics, or people extremely devoid of opinion, tend not to join discussion boards at all. The extreme advocates, or people who have rather too many opinions, are on the whole I'd guess more likely to want to share. So I guess the constant presence of trolls is something that does not surprise me in the least. 200 years ago, Rob Newman would be the guy starting fights in the lobby of the concert hall...

EDIT: Just realized I completely ignored the category of troll who intentionally stakes outrageous positions for the pure thrill of pissing everyone off. I don't understand those folks, but imagine a similar bell-curve principle must be at work, at the opposite end of which are those "soft" folks who will agree with anything anybody says just to be nice.

[Octo_Russ]

There's always the ignore list function you can activate if a certain troll becomes too annoying, then they just magically disappear off the forum  however, certain threads might not make so much sense if they're posting heavily on them, and being quoted by others.

[Szykneij]

There's always the ignore list function you can activate if a certain troll becomes too annoying, then they just magically disappear off the forum  however, certain threads might not make so much sense if they're posting heavily on them, and being quoted by others.

Yes, that's true. I'm not really complaining about them as much as wondering what makes them tick.

[Scarpia]

EDIT: Just realized I completely ignored the category of troll who intentionally stakes outrageous positions for the pure thrill of pissing everyone off. I don't understand those folks, but imagine a similar bell-curve principle must be at work, at the opposite end of which are those "soft" folks who will agree with anything anybody says just to be nice.

That is the definition of a troll.  The other characteristic you described have nothing to do with trolling.  The term "troll" is a play on words on the verb to troll (i.e. to catch fish by towing bait) and the noun troll (i.e., a troll from Norse mythology).

Also, if you think there no trolls on the board, you clearly haven't visited certain threads lately.   

[Octo_Russ]

Actually some of the trolls are quite entertaining in a way  , as long as you stay a fly on the wall and watch, and don't get sucked into the verbal vortex 

[CD]

Obvious trolls are harmless — at least on this forum, where the moderation is vigilant: Anyone starts blatantly abusing members or spouting hateful views, their posts get deleted and they're banned pretty quickly.

The real trolls, the ones who are the most insidious and also the most poisonous to the atmosphere of the board, are the ones who operate just "below radar", who hide behind "objectivity" to loftily shit on anyone's opposing view — every post says, in so many words: "shut up". These are the worst.

I'm on another board where moderation is partially up to the members — there is a "suggest ban" function that was intended to keep away spammers, but has also been useful to keep discourse relatively friendly. If 51 people suggest a user be banned, they're banned. It's a great system as long as the ban suggestion doesn't stem from mere disagreement.

[Brian]

Also, if you think there no trolls on the board, you clearly haven't visited certain threads lately.   

Well, then, I certainly hope that I continue not to visit them.

[The Diner]

What a bunch of idiots!!!

[CD]

Jim Morrison?

[Szykneij]

What a bunch of idiots!!!

Sorry, Dave, not convincing. You just don't have an ounce of troll in you.

[The Diner]

Sorry, Dave, not convincing. You just don't have an ounce of troll in you.

[Szykneij]

O.K., O.K., I'll report you to a moderator.

[Cato]

The incredible Saul was a "nice" troll with his Mendelssohn fetish and his attempts at compositions using bizarre, avant-garde techniques e.g. he used a scale called C major!

Then there was Rob Newman              and his Mozart Is A FAKE, I Tell You!!! obsession!

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=10960.540

[eyeresist]

I sometimes wonder how much Asperger's sydrome is to blame...

[prémont]

The incredible Saul was a "nice" troll with his Mendelssohn fetish and his attempts at compositions using bizarre, avant-garde techniques e.g. he used a scale called C major!

Then there was Rob Newman              and his Mozart Is A FAKE, I Tell You!!! obsession!

Not to forget the highly malignant  M forever, almost the paradigma of a troll.

[Scarpia]

Not to forget the highly malignant  M forever, almost the paradigma of a troll.

As I understand the definition, I would not call M forever a troll.  Abusive and contemptuous of others, yes, perhaps a bit sadistic (in the way he would use personal information that people disclosed on the site to ridicule them later).  But I believe M forever mean't what he said.  The essence of "trollness" is saying things to push peoples buttons or get people to respond, just for the joy of being the center of attention.