The last thing we all need

People like myself, Na, Greg Ross, Stinger, Danny K, and a few others who regularly stick their necks out and make some noise about this, that or the other are going to attract a few predators. It is the nature of the beast and the business. Just look at the lynchings that more notables regularly take, deserved or not. Accept it as a part of being noticed.

It is an unavoidable part of our society and in some sense, humanity in general. We have been given the faculties to feel joy, shame, envy, jealousy, desire, anger, hatred by what-ever higher power you take note of. How we put those 'gifts' to use is a matter of personal choice and given the number of people in the world, and the pressures of society, you are going to find every possible use of these emotional aspects, and more often against those who make themselves targets. Why shoot someone you can't see?

I find it is a real case of no-news is good-news. For every Troll taunting you, there are likely to be many more who general accept, appreciate or enjoy what you have to say but do not feel the need to comment or 'stick their neck out' also. Let's face it, I myself have enjoyed certain posts, voted them up, yet have not added comment as I did not see the need. Posting something along the lines of "I AGREE!" and nothing else doesn't seem right, to me.

In addition, I find that Trolls have either of two agendas, to randomly and deliberately sow disruption or the goad a specific individual to an emotional reaction for a percieved jealous slight. Unless there is some thought given to the comment that can be backed up with intellectual perception, then it is simply an emotional outburst, with which we can do little with anyway, and to be ignored.

Trolling is not restricted to unregistered and anonymous posters however and a number of registered and self-identified posters (and well known at that) regularly engage in mud-slinging matches. Sometimes there is a measure of intellectual debate between them. Thankfully, this is contained within the confines of their own arguments and we can see that it is simply a clash of personalities rather than Tolling per-se.

I guess what I am saying is that if you are the type of person who will make a stand, speak up, stick-your-neck-out, then you have to anticipate that someone is going to take a shot at you. Most of it will be "personal opinion" type stuff which will go under the radar of such legal applications of Libel which focuses on Factual Defamatory Statements. That is the stuff we will just have to live with.

There you have it. My personal feelings on Trolls and Trolling. Take it or leave it, or Troll it.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

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