This is going to be less like my normal posts and more like a public service announcement. I’m sure at least some of you know all about this but I’d bet that not everyone does. Maybe this will be useful to at least a few other people.
Recently, a friend of mine told me that she would like to be able to respond to my posts but she’s afraid of being attacked for what she says.
What she’s concerned about is an Internet troll. For those of you who don’t already know, “an Internet troll is someone who makes intentionally inflammatory, rude, or upsetting statements online to elicit strong emotional responses in people or to steer the conversation off-topic.”
A troll is, put simply, a bully. Trolls will bait you with all sorts of insults, hate and poor logic just to get you to react. Once they’ve got you hooked, they’ll continue to distract you, and others, from the real point that’s attempting to be being made.
This happened to me just yesterday. Someone posted “Police Lives Matter” with a request for others to share the post. A troll immediately replied with, essentially, “You’re a racist”. The troll is someone I know so I asked him why he felt that the lives of policemen don’t matter. He immediately replied with another insult. I politely asked again that he remain on topic and explain his point of view. He hasn’t replied yet.
In my experience, trolls aren’t typically very knowledgeable about what they’re talking about. When posting a meme or repeating a slogan doesn’t work, they’re out of ammunition. Trolls can parrot something that they’ve heard others say but there’s no depth to their argument or conviction.
The best way to deal with a troll is to simply ignore it. Do not engage in any way. Just pretend that it isn’t there. Once he realizes that you’re not going to take the bait, he’ll lose interest and move on.
Alternatively, and this takes self-discipline on your part, you can ask the troll to explain his stance on the point being made (in my case, why he felt that police lives don’t matter) and keep nudging him back on topic. If you remain calm and don’t provoke, you’ll expose the troll for what he is. Like any other bully, when confronted, the troll usually just goes away.
Now that you know what a troll is, how to spot one and how to deal with them, get back in the game. I’d love to hear what you have to say.
On a personal note:
As I mentioned, this particular troll is familiar to me. We grew up together, lived in the same small town and went to the same school for grades 4 through 12. I came to understand that he was trying to provoke the “me” he knew 40 years ago. But, I’m not the same “me” I was 40 years ago. While his insults may have worked in high school, they’re no longer effective. It’s unfortunate because he used to be a smart guy, smarter than me actually. 40 years ago, we were good friends. Now he seems to be locked in this cycle of hate that he can’t break out of. And that makes me sad.
