Internet trolls: What to do about the scourge of the Web?

[Strontium Dog]

I see that trollolol thing about a lot, especially in games but I have no idea what it actually means, is it "your being trolled hahah" or "this person is a troll laugh at them" or is it just another internet craze that you need context for? Should I even remotely care?

You guess right, it's a meme about this guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Khil#Internet_meme

Just a quick question before I'm off, this might be best answered by staff here. Would revealing private information about a member publicly be a breach of the data protection act in the U.K. do you think?

Depends what it is?

On the football forum I post on we routinely reveal email addresses and IP addresses of trolls, it's led to much merriment and mirth, but no legal action. They're hardly in any position to complain when they're breaking laws themselves. "Erm, yeah, these guys I was harrassing revealed my IP address?"

This thread in particular was an all-time classic:

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/hal ... gough.html

and this one:

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/hal ... r-1-a.html

They always seem to be Chelsea fans for some reason...

[FBM]

Maybe we're not working on the same definition of "arbitrary."

Arbitrary, as in random, not considered or chosen, determined by chance.

I re-read your previous comment and now I see your point. I wasn't reading carefully last night.

[Audley Strange]

Yeah, I scanned over and over it trying to find what I said that was problematic. I have an odd way with language which I'll laughingly refer to as a style, but really it means I teeter on the edge of coherence at the best of times.

[FBM]

I was posting on a few different sites simultaneously, and I may or may not have been slightly

[pErvinalia]

I had some fucking nutcase on RatSkep make repeated snide comments about my family members.

This after he registered an account on a political forum I posted on under my real name. Proper stalker shit.

Actually, I'm not sure I'm allowed to call him a fucking nutcase, as he's a member here? But he is a fucking nutcase. And a shithouse.

Who was it?

[pErvinalia]

Well the article is specifically a case of someone getting death threats. I was commenting in that context. And I support the boxer in scaring the shit out of the cowardly twat who threatened him.

Dangerous though. It could be considered harassment or disorderly conduct by the boxer. Much better to report the info to the police and only interface with the troll if he comes to YOU.

That's true.

[pErvinalia]

The good lady and I were discussing this earlier. Her point was that the net, unlike schools or workplaces is not mandatory. To enter into a place which is hostile and complain that people are hostile to you is pity-mongering, masochism or ignorance.

Is a black person entering an establishment that is known to be racist, being a pity-mongerer, masochist or ignorant? Or are they perhaps standing up for what is right?

[FBM]

I had some fucking nutcase on RatSkep make repeated snide comments about my family members.

This after he registered an account on a political forum I posted on under my real name. Proper stalker shit.

Actually, I'm not sure I'm allowed to call him a fucking nutcase, as he's a member here? But he is a fucking nutcase. And a shithouse.

Who was it?

As long as he doesn't name names, he'll avoid breaking the rule against personal attacks.

[Audley Strange]

The good lady and I were discussing this earlier. Her point was that the net, unlike schools or workplaces is not mandatory. To enter into a place which is hostile and complain that people are hostile to you is pity-mongering, masochism or ignorance.

Is a black person entering an establishment that is known to be racist, being a pity-mongerer, masochist or ignorant? Or are they perhaps standing up for what is right?

nah.

[pErvinalia]

So you were exaggerating.

[Audley Strange]

No, I was saying they weren't standing up for what's right. However it is pity-mongering.

[pErvinalia]

So a black person who enters a racist establishment to challenge societies boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable, is a pity-mongerer, but not doing it because it is the right thing to do? The fuck?

[Audley Strange]

So a black person who enters a racist establishment to challenge societies boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable, is a pity-mongerer, but not doing it because it is the right thing to do? The fuck?

Well I'll grant you he could be trolling racists, but that just makes him a troll (or are trolls good when you agree with their actions, is that how it works now?).

You are making this claim that some imagined black person knowingly goes into a place where people are hostile towards him. Your belief that he is somehow doing the "right" thing is your belief, not an objective fact as such. Many more people might believe the guy was just looking to score victim cred, others might think he's a shit stirrer, others might think he did a stupid thing but exposed an equally stupid thing.

So as to your point in the first place, I think nah was sufficient.

[Brian Peacock]

So a black person who enters a racist establishment to challenge societies boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable, is a pity-mongerer, but not doing it because it is the right thing to do? The fuck?

Well I'll grant you he could be trolling racists, but that just makes him a troll (or are trolls good when you agree with their actions, is that how it works now?).

You are making this claim that some imagined black person knowingly goes into a place where people are hostile towards him. Your belief that he is somehow doing the "right" thing is your belief, not an objective fact as such. Many more people might believe the guy was just looking to score victim cred, others might think he's a shit stirrer, others might think he did a stupid thing but exposed an equally stupid thing.

So as to your point in the first place, I think nah was sufficient.

Oh, I thought the black person was the troll.

[Jason]

Black people are the bringers of bacon for they are the children of Ham.