Don't feed the trolls

“I'll bump this thread from time to time as an alert to not feed the trolls. Commenting on the direct threads in questions seems to make them get fed more not less, so maybe a general comment would be better. Based on the last 24 hours, don't feed the troll(s).”

“Aren't the trolls supposed to come out during the Holiday Season?”

“you do realize that one of those trolls will assume it is about him or her, and just bring the fight over here?”

“LOL - you just said "one of those trolls" ... so obviously that troll would be assuming correctly.”

“you do realize that one of those trolls will assume it is about him or her, and just bring the fight over here?�
crash bang
7:03:45 AM
12/14/07

They can assume all they want.”

“What's your beef with me, dayhiker?

Who pissed in your grits?”

“It's because you're a dramatic, attention whore.”

“If feeding the trolls worked the same way feeding bears does, then I would disagree with you. You know the saying ... A fed bear is a dead bear.”

“I thought it was "feed a troll, starve a poster"? Or is it the other way around?”

“Dayhiker, serious question for you...

If you would not post things like you did on this thread, would the "trolls" have anything to respond to? Also, have any of the trolls addressed you personally before you addressed them? Could it be that you are the one initiating the dialog with the "trolls", and not the other way around?

Should the "trolls" just sit by and let you (and others) post anything they want about them and just ignore it? Would you? I know you wouldn't because you can't ignore it even if it's NOT addressed to you. You're taking offense to "trolls" who aren't even addressing you! Imagine if they were.

Look in the mirror next time.”

“Noncon - I think it's the other way around.

Sarge - who said the trolls are responding to this?”

“Funny how people play stupid about this when actually confronted about it.”

“Hey buddy, who said the stupid thing is an act?”

“All that energy to point fingers, but none to look at the truth.”

“I think the death of Bearmagnet has screwed up a few people on TT, more than usual.
Too much anger on TT right now.”

“Make sure you mention about the anger thing to Ruby: http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/50029,5,2.php

She doesn't see it.”

“Too much anger on TT right now.�
StoveStomper
9:17:52 AM
12/14/07

Or everyone has gotten sick of the petty crap.”

“bump”

“If you're sick of the petty crap, my suggestion is to say something WHEN IT HAPPENS to the offending person. Not wait until somebody is left defending themselves.

If people said the stuff they say around a campfire, people would put a stop to it right then and there. Not here though. It's like they like it or something.”

“I thought hte other thread was the best thread ever?”

“Scuze me”

“I know, I know. I'm breaking the TT zoo rules. But I just fed him one more time.”

“This is why no one responds to my posts?”

“hello DeoreDX!

:)”

“I need a snack, somebody open the fridge please, lol”

“Hey DDX!”

“Hey Heterosexual Life Partner!

”

“Guys, we need another Pinhoti trip.”

“There are some posters who do not seek honest debate, but only an opportunity to hurl mean spirited insults. They start out by taking a position they do not really believe in to suck in the unsuspecting. Some of these described posters are mean spirited in real life. Others think words don't matter, and that they can be friends on the trail no matter how vile they have called someone names on the internet.

If people just ignored those posts, the thread would die. Unfortunately, some people hurl insults back, starting an unseeming flame war. While many insults constitutes defamation, it is almost impossible to sue the website for it. But it is easy to sue the defamer if you have the money, and the defamer is not judgment proof. Several times here and on-the-other-side I have seen it spill over into real life threats (a crime). Outside of TT, I have read news reports of people getting arrested for crimes that were started out with internet arguments. Anyone want Mike Tyson as a cell mate?


So, don't hurl insults back.

Fight lies with provable facts.

Ignore posters who take insincere positions designed to start a flame war.”

“prosecutor, Do you really see "insincere" positions on here? I think these people actually believe what they're saying. Even Mutt, who seems to be boiling over w/ contempt, seems to believe what he says. Even as man-made global warming is being proven to be based on faulty studies, I really believe a lot of people still hold that view. Do you have examples of what you mean?”

“I've never come here looking for a debate. And I don't really understand those who do.”

“Me neither toejam. That's why I try to stay off Fuego. Every once in a while though I sucked back into reading the threads.”

“"Community Standards" are a tough set of guidelines to follow because they can be so fluid. IMO in order to have "community" there needs to be passion but passion has to be under control. I am not sure the internet is a practical place to carry out that structure.”

“Certainly debate isn't for everybody. Some people enjoy it, others don't. Others like to talk about the fact that they are drinking their morning coffee. Different strokes for different folks. It's what makes the world go around.”

“Go to any social gathering, including TT backpacking trips, and those fuego posters never posit their insincere positions in public. They only take those insincere positions on the internet with the desire to provoke. The most insincere posters hide behind alias and don't backpack with forum people.

Most of the insincere debaters I have seen have been on the-other-side. The easiest way to impeach their position was to do a forum search on them and quote them from a previous debate where they took a contrary position. This happened so often they they were claiming I kept files on them. Or they would claim it was taken out of context and if they had explained more thoroughly in the previous post, it would be just the opposite of the quote. Usually, they responded with ad hominem and left my post unrebutted.”

“Very interesting.”

“so....nothing has changed since my absence?”

“"Hey everyone,
I'm finally posting on the infamous trailtalk, or "the backpacker site" as Sarge used to call it. Unfortunately, it's not under circumstances which I'd like.

I'm writing to you because you meant a lot to Sarge. "The backpacker site I go to" is a phrase I heard many times in conversations with him. He'd often talk about things written on this site, and sometimes say "check this out" and he'd show me a one of your conversations. We'd laugh at some of the posts, and we'd sometimes try to come up with new ways to "make things interesting" and "stir the pot."

But, as you may have guessed, Sarge, whose real name was Jim, died unexpectedly. Three days ago on Friday, at about 5:15pm, Jim was the victim of a fatal heart attack.

I realize none of y'all knew Jim in real life, so I want to tell you a little about him, as I'm sure he would've liked me to do.

I can assure you that Jim was a good man. He loved his family, his friends, and his country. I knew him to be a man of conviction, yet he listened intently to others and enjoyed the challenging (and fun) conversations online. He was a good friend and proud ex-soldier. He loved to backpack and even had an optional major knee surgery so that he could stay active.

[On a small side note, Jim was not just about backpacking and internet chat. He loved the martial arts and for years seemed obsessed by it, working long hours at honing his skills. We had fun watching marital arts movies like "Iron Monkey" and then one night we watched "City on Fire"...a horrible movie! (The Blockbuster kid told us it was a good martial arts movie...Jim wanted to go Kung Pow on him afterward!)]

He's told me in the past how he'd often desired a friendly relationship and dialog with many of you, but felt the confines of the internet squelched that too much. When we'd go on hikes, he'd ask people we'd pass something about this site to see if he recognized them, hoping to meet some of you, so he really had a fondness in his heart for you, whether you agreed or disagreed about any number of topics. Backpacking and hiking were ways to just be with people to Jim.

Recently, Jim lost a loved one, his dog. If dogs go to Heaven I am sure they are together again.

Thanks everyone!" - muskrat (Sarge troll)�”

“also remember that the dog that supposedly died had it's photo posted and it was the same dog as was in the photo album of "mountainspeak".

this is classic TT people. you can't pay for this type of entertainment. it's just not for sale.”

“Ah..... the Classics!”

“Jimmy san - everybody is complaining about the whole "Sarge" thing.

Question: are you helping the situation, or contributing to it?”

“Prosecutor's post on hypocrisy made me remember the mother of all provocative posts. It was a classic dude but it does illustrate that you dish it out at the very least in measure to what you receive.

Perhaps it is time to rehash the "call to civility" thread.”

“I see you're unwilling to answer that question.”

“You asked for a sample post in response to prosecutors comments. I provided one. So I am helping.”

““"Community Standards" are a tough set of guidelines to follow because they can be so fluid. IMO in order to have "community" there needs to be passion but passion has to be under control. I am not sure the internet is a practical place to carry out that structure.”
ramblinrev
10:35:17 AM
12/15/07

TT has been thriving for over 10 years now. That's like 70 in dog and internet years. Most people's families are more dysfunctional than TT. There is no problem here that the "ignore user" feature can't fix.”

“Jimmy, I heart you (and your wine).”

“Hay wate a minnit mitsters! Yall can feed me! I will eet enny snaks and suppers!
do:3 mmmmmmm! suppers!”

“bump”