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Trolls

DJDeepFried

By DJDeepFried,
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DJDeepFried Contributor

DJDeepFried

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I'm taking this over here now because I feel like it. And I'm not talking about anyone in particular so if you think I am don't get defensive or flatter yourself. This isn't about you.

A "troll" is commonly defined as someone who posts sh*t on the internet to get a reaction -- even if it's something they don't believe themselves, e.g. OBAMA = HITLER. It's very hard not to fall into their little traps and, as annoying as they are, I must admit I have a weird respect for them as pranksters and anarchists. They can be pretty entertaining sometimes (though not often) but it's best to ignore them and hope they go away.

Then there's another type of person who makes some kind of inflammatory or potentially offensive statement that they actually do believe. Those people are also trying to stir the pot and get attention – even if it's negative attention, kind of like our six-year-old at times. Those traps are harder to avoid. I think the thing to remember is that some people don't care about having a meaningful discussion or debate – only being "right." And they will never stop arguing until they get the last word. They will never see your point or try to understand your point of view because they don't care. They won't admit they're wrong – ever.

(BTW I've also seen a few "success stories" on here of people who stop being bullheaded and stubborn and actually listen to what other people have to say – other people who know a lot more about the subject than they do. Some people just go away which is fine by me, but LST has also "saved" one or two from getting bad or mediocre tattoos by steering them in the right direction, suggesting artists, etc. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing a thread just about those success stories, but maybe later.)

I myself have said plenty of dumb sh*t on here and been schooled a couple of times. I've agreed to disagree on a few occasions and always apologized if I offended someone – or at least tried clarify myself if I felt I was being misunderstood.

But really we're all here for the same reason, which is to talk about tattoos, share and look at kickass tattoos, and occasionally debate the finer points of tattoos and tattooing. Preferably in a respectful way without name-calling or singling anyone out.

One reason why this board is so great and different from a lot of others is that we've been able to maintain this kind of intelligent, respectful discourse. In part that's because we're able to "police" ourselves and call out the trolls and the haters when they do rear their ugly heads. There's been some talk recently about this board going negative and scaring some people away. I hope that doesn't happen but that's also part of the process of weeding out. Some people need "tough love" instead of telling them what they want to hear.

If you've read this far, thank you for letting me get on my soapbox for a bit. I've been really proud of the people who've been standing up for themselves and others – some women in particular – and not letting the haters and the trolls get away with their bullsh*t. But at the end of the day, you can try to slap some sense into some people and all you get is a sore hand.

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Tesseracts Regular

Tesseracts

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In my opinion a troll is somebody who upsets people on purpose. Some of the people here seem to lack the social skills to avoid accidentally insulting people. However the outcome is the same either way: people are upset.

I have to say this forum is probably the only forum I've been on that feels this strongly about women's rights without actually being a feminist forum, and that's pretty cool.

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scubaron Contributor

scubaron

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In my opinion a troll is somebody who upsets people on purpose. Some of the people here seem to lack the social skills to avoid accidentally insulting people. However the outcome is the same either way: people are upset.

I have to say this forum is probably the only forum I've been on that feels this strongly about women's rights without actually being a feminist forum, and that's pretty cool.

I think many people don't have a goal of insulting people, but it happens during their conversation. The problem is, even if it's not their goal, they know they are insulting people and they just don't care.

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Fala Champion

Fala

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I've been watching some of the more troll-y threads (and one in particular) - I also applaud and admire the women who are standing up to said trolls. For me, I don't see the point of engaging when all it does is add fuel to the fire and give the troll more stuff to work with. Lately, I am preferring "planned ignore" when it has become obvious that a person isn't going to listen, it takes too much energy to engage.

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DJDeepFried Contributor

DJDeepFried

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Trolls are okay, but please don't start a My Little Pony thread. Creeps me out.

Our little one is super into My Little Pony these days. The new(er) ones on Netflix are a lot less insipid than the original -- more of a Powerpuff Girls vibe. Any other comments/questions about the viewing habits of six-year-old girls, I'm your man.

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