The Troll FAQ V 1.1 Part 4
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v 1.1
Contents
Part 1
Introduction
Thread Starters
Part 2
Engagements
Part 3
Ethics
Part 4
Attitude
Part 5
Sources
The Troll FAQ v 1.1
Part 4
ATTITUDE
Introduction
The attitude with which someone trolls depends in part
on motivation. Why is he trolling? An intent to amuse
himself, other trolls, and some groupers is indication
of a good overall attitude.
Maintenance of this attitude is important to a hit and
run style troll. It is more important for engagement
trolls. The quality of posts and the emotional state
of the troll will both be adversely affected if a troll
can't maintain the primary purpose of amusement, most
importantly that some others be amused.
A troll hammering his own agenda, without support from
anyone, or only support from a few troll buddies, most
likely isn't a troll. He's instead probably a mission
poster. Use of troll techniques doesn't make a person
a troll. Its the attitude that makes a person a troll.
Avoiding Obsession
Avoiding obsession requires being introspective. A
troll must frequently self-evaluate. Its also good
to have friends who can be asked to evaluate a troll's
attitude, and who can be relied upon to be candid.
One indication of obsession is a troll making most of
his posts to a single group or on one subject. Lack
of diversity in posting habits usually indicates a
problem.
Approaching or exceeding the limits of ethical behavior
might indicate obsession with winning. Monitoring
this is important. Dedication to the art is admirable.
Obsession to win is not.
Its also possible to be obsessed with trolling in
general. There should be some places where a troll
is more grouper than troll. This doesn't include
being a grouper in a upa group.
Hurt Feelings
One almost certain effect of trolling is that someone
is going to get his feelings hurt. Usually , it is a
grouper.
The most basic is embarrassment, and most groupers are
able to recover from it. Usually, it happens when a
grouper didn't realize a post was a troll and flamed or
responded seriously. This is most likely to happen when
the post contained subtle humor or humor that could be
by intent interpreted by some as being insults. It
can't be said that, in such cases, a good time was had
by all, but usually, a good time was had by most. The
grouper will be more careful in the future, but, it
seems, there's always another unaware grouper to take
his place.
Sometimes, though, groupers in such a situation don't
*get over it* quite so easily. They blame the troll
for their error, and start flaming the troll. This
is a prompt for a troll to start an engagement of the
grouper.
With actions that are considered reasonable by the
groupers, a good troll will continue to embarrass the
target. If the grouper smart, he'll walk away. If
the grouper continues, he has the disadvantage of
posting with the need to win, versus the troll's
situation of posting for amusement. But most groupers
don't recognize the disadvantage. In most cases, the
grouper will lose.
Trolls must remain aware of the potential for having
their own feelings hurt. Reacting due to hurt feelings
means the reaction they've provoked many times in
groupers has been provoked in them. Play with fire,
and you might get burned.
Since trolling almost always hurts someone's feelings
at least a little, and trolls do this intentionally,
they're not in much of a position to complain about
someone hurting their feelings. By the choice of
their hobby, they must adopt an attitude of being
immune to hurt feelings, or at least, not reacting
to hurt feelings.
Proactive To Reactive
A change from proactive to reactive behavior is an
attitude change, and a sure indication of trouble.
Its more than a bit peculiar how this happens, but
its related to *hurt feelings*, discussed previously.
It usually originates from greater and greater wins.
If a grouper is embarrassed, a troll counts it as a
win. What the grouper does next determines what
the troll will do.
The troll may decide he's flushed one out, and his
next post may specifically target the grouper. If
the troll is subtle, he may instead write a general
post more attuned to the targets interests, which
is indirectly targeting the grouper.
In either case, the grouper may directly criticize
the troll. The troll counts the greater reaction
as a greater win.
The troll may encourage greater reaction by various
techniques. At some point in the increasing activity,
the grouper may start stalking the troll. The troll
will again count this as yet a greater win, because
the grouper has continued to act in an increasingly
irrational way.
Though it all, the troll has been proactive. He's
evaluated what the grouper has done, considered what
is needed to provoke a greater reaction, done it,
and counted it as a greater victory.
But what if the grouper reports the troll to his
service provider? What if he stalks the troll to
a group where the troll doesn't troll, and is instead
a serious and grouper-like poster? What if the
grouper digs up real life information on the troll
and posts it?
At some point, many trolls will snap. They'll decide
whatever was done was *unfair*. And they'll retaliate
in kind. And they'll do it in anger.
This is a change from proactive to reactive behavior.
Its a change from posting for amusement to posting for
revenge. Interestingly, the entire situation was
created by the troll. Perhaps at the beginning this
result wasn't intended, but at each step, he decided
to go one step further. With each step came the risk
the grouper would fight harder, and/or fight better.
At every step, the troll considered increased grouper
reaction a larger victory. But at some point, maybe
netcopping, maybe stalking, maybe going real life, he
considered a greater reaction a loss that required
revenge. This is illogical. An event that is counted
as a win can't suddenly be counted as a loss. The
only difference was a change in the troll's attitude
toward increased reactions.
A troll who reacts is probably angry. One who is
angry is a mission poster, not a troll. Trolling
is for amusement. An angry troll has lost his course.
Anger
There is age old advice to groupers not to post in
anger. This applies doubly to trolls.
Anger means posts will be made, not out of consideration
for artistic effect, but for revenge. Also, most of
the time, judgment is clouded by anger. People who
have the sense not to post drunk often don't have the
sense not to post angry.
The State For The Best Posts
The best posts are made in a state of calm with the
anticipation of amusement. Maintaining that situation
is essential to continued effective trolling.
Review
Recognize obsession and address it
Be proactive, not reactive
Trolls have little right to hurt feelings
Don't become a mission poster
Don't post in anger
Be dedicated to art
If the attitude isn't right, don't post
--
There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at
without result. --- Winston Churchill