Friday, August 1, 2008

Trolls

The New York Times ran a really interesting article today about trolls. Seriously, check it out, it might shed some light on trolls' behavior.

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8 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. Thanks for the link. That troll 'Fortuny' was in so much pain. Personal deep-seeded childhood pain. When the victim is ashamed of being a victim, it increases the probability that they will try to victimize others in order to prove that they aren't the only 'fools' out there. Therapists are so important to our society...

August 2, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Black Thirteen said...

Articles like that are a joke. Attempting to classify behaviour based on stereotypical, unfounded whatnot.

Trolling can be done for a variety of reasons, most of which, honestly, watching people get all up in a huff over something unimportant is humorous.

If anything, most online trolls point out one important fact to people: Stop taking everything so damn seriously.

Shrug.

Also, this:

Therapists are so important to our society...

Ick, no. Therapists are important to their own bank accounts, and nothing whatsoever else.

August 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Anonymous said...

Ahaha. What shoddy justifications.

I do agree that people take themselves too seriously and that there is humor in everything, but if the only way someone can point that out is by specifically trying to get a rise out of his target, well, he's not trying to prove that. He's trying to get attention and feel better about himself by hurting someone else, or just looking for a good malicious laugh. If trolls really wanted to get that point across, they'd choose better ways to do it. Trolls are self-important and condescending. It's easy to trivialize a life when there's no face-to-face interaction.

As for your therapist comment, congratulations on the blanket statement AKA stereotypical, unfounded whatnot. Sure, some therapists are in it for the money, but some actually give a shit.

August 7, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Black Thirteen said...

I don't think the justifications are shoddy at all.

I just think of trolls as the Andy Kaufman's of the internet.

People who practice comedy that for the most part, only they find funny.

As for the therapists, from what I've seen, and the rates they charge, they didn't get into the business out of altruism.

If you truly want to help someone, you don't ask for money in return. Just sayin'.

August 9, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Anonymous said...

Ah, so the troll is smarter and the audience is just too dumb to "get it." Except Andy Kaufman was never malicious. That's the exact kind of self-centered thinking that makes trolls sad, sad individuals.

And again about therapists, I have to simply ask, what? They shouldn't ask for money in exchange for their services? Perhaps surgeons shouldn't ask for money when operating on a patient. Perhaps construction workers should build homes for free. Perhaps teachers should offer education out of their own pockets. Those can be altruistic professions too. Why aren't you targeting them? You espouse an understandable ideal, but everybody has to make a living. How can you justify denying certain people that right and not others? I wasn't aware that the supposed morality of one's job dictated compensation. I'd rather be someone who helped ten people yesterday and got a big paycheck then someone who didn't but still got the same paycheck. You tell me who's worse.

I won't judge someone for trying to make a living. I'll judge him based on whether he did his job well.

August 11, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Black Thirteen said...

Ah, so the troll is smarter and the audience is just too dumb to "get it." Except Andy Kaufman was never malicious. That's the exact kind of self-centered thinking that makes trolls sad, sad individuals.

Never said that. Also, in some respects, things he did could easily have been taken as malicious.

I won't judge someone for trying to make a living. I'll judge him based on whether he did his job well.

Just saying, therapists are very interested in turning a profit, not in helping someone.

August 11, 2008 at 9:36 PM
Anonymous said...

I should have clarified. You're right that Kaufman did a lot of comedy that only he got, but he'd let the audience in, and they'd decide whether to laugh along or not. Trolls don't leave it up to their audience. That's what makes it so self-absorbed and petty.

In regards to therapy, I respectfully disagree. I won't accept that kind of a blanket statement.

August 12, 2008 at 2:42 PM
Black Thirteen said...

You're right that Kaufman did a lot of comedy that only he got, but he'd let the audience in, and they'd decide whether to laugh along or not.

Only sometimes!

If I recall, the whole bit between him and Jerry Lawler was kept an "inside" joke for so long, most people never knew it was a joke.

In regards to therapy, I respectfully disagree. I won't accept that kind of a blanket statement.

Fair enough.

August 13, 2008 at 12:33 AM

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