Just putting this question out there because recently I joined the SFDebris forums and there’s one member there who I’m finding particularly vile (it mystifies me how he hasn’t been given the boot to be honest). He’s made various posts that I’d say have controversial views (to say nothing of his username) and his attitude kinda disgusts me. I added him to my foe list a while back, but the problem with that system is that it still shows that your foe has posted a comment, it just hides the actual post, and sometimes it’s hard to resist the temptation to click view post to see what they have said especially if someone else has quoted part of their post in their own.
So, anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid such people even further/deal with them? Other than just avoiding the forum that is.
Remind yourself that it is okay that someone can be wrong and say bad things, without you having to respond, and they will not change their minds anyway. Trolls thrive on attention, even more so on emotional reactions, so depriving them of it reduces their output by a lot. If you encourage other people not to respond also, then they either go to such lengths as to get themselves banned or they go elsewhere.
Good advice, although this guy seems less like an attention whore than a bigot (his user name being ‘the Myth of Feminism’ should give you a clue to some of his bigotries). Still good advice though.
The admins are aware of the problem - they’ve already put a ban on discussing his username because of the friction it was causing and I’ve reported his most recent horrible post which a mod has dealt with with a stern reminder that dehumanising language and the like are against the forum rules. I doubt it’ll stop hi in the long run, so hopefully he’ll cross the line and get a ban before long.
Feel free to pop over and look up his posts if you fancy giving yourself an aneurism
People will have their little ways. It’s always a useful ability in life to be able to ignore obnoxious people. Starting with Internet posters could be a first step to learn how to ignore them in real life.
Little update on this, the troll in question has finally been banned - think it was this thread that finally crossed the line: https://sfdebris.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2462 (content warning - don’t read unless you want to be thoroughly disgusted).
Had to roll my eyes at the bit where he claims the moderation on that forum is ultra strict
couldn’t be bothered to read all his rambling, but it sounds like he’s arguing against feminism, which is an argument nobody will ever win, and just goes to prove he is a prize turnip and trying to be provocative in the hope somebody will give him some attention. Have to be fairly sad to be like that, pity the guy.
Unfortunately, there is currently a thriving movement among young white men which claims to champion “men’s rights” but which in effect is basically a platform for misogyny. It’s sad stuff, because it capitalises on their insecurities and turns those into weapons against feminism, progressiveness, whatever…
couldn't be bothered to read all his rambling, but it sounds like he's arguing against feminism, which is an argument nobody will ever win, and just goes to prove he is a prize turnip and trying to be provocative in the hope somebody will give him some attention. Have to be fairly sad to be like that, pity the guy.
Doombeard
Pretty much. Couldn't be bothered to read that last post in full but he's brought his anti-feminist stance up a lot in other threads and iirc has even done so out of the blue a few times when it's had very little relation to the thread in question (eg in a thread on the new Star Wars film he declared her watched it again and decided he hated it because it was 'feminist propaganda'). He also seems to have difficulty understanding basic logic (eg iirc one time he declared that the concept of vocal minority made no sense). In addition to his mysoginistic streak, something that rubbed me up the wrong way personally were a few homophobic comments he made and then tried to claim he wasn't homophobic when called out on it. The fact that the last post he made after the one I linked to looked like a starting point for him to worship Putin is also a cause for concern in my book (won't elaborate further as discussing politics is against the rules here for very good reasons).
Overall he seems a deeply disturbed man and his frequent claims of victimisation at the hands of the mods (despite there being no visable evidence of this so presumably he's been getting frequent private warnings) comes off like he has some sort of martyr complex and part of me wonders if he was trying to be offensive on purpose just so he could play the victim :/ scary thing is that (assuming he wasn't lying) he's claimed to be a dentist in a few threads :o
Think I might be a troll magnet - seemed to have picked up another one on that site (could be that forum which is the troll magnet) and have had to block him as it’s turning into me banging my head against a brick wall over essentially trying to explain to him how English works. Fortunately the rest of the forum is pleasant or I’d consider not bothering with it anymore lol
Fortunately I was bullied a lot as a kid so dealing with these trolls is actually an improvement. Gods that's a depressing statement :~
Dînadan
I was too a lot, but I had to resort to kicking the crap out of the "leader" of the group that was picking on me. They never annoyed me again. However when cyber bullying became a thing, there was always a block button at access.
Ignore, or learn to ignore. The world isn’t a better place because your blood boils over some trivial nonsense, and neither is your life.
Trolling is trivial nonsense. It’s only as effective as you allow it to be. Perhaps try a mind trick? Every time you hear or see something provocative or blatantly stupid which seems to call out for reply and correction to set things straight, imagine that such infantility is so far below you, that you won’t even dignify it with an answer.
The problem is when the trolling isn’t blatant; in the example of this new troll he’s not doing anything blatantly trollish. He’s listed in a politically oriented thread and is doing the typical ignorant thing of ignoring someone who’s trying to be reasonable and after a few attempts of trying to reason with him I’ve given up and hit block.
Being British I decided to deflect minor annoyance with self-deprecating humour and posted here because I see no need to risk stirring up trouble over there
Fortunately no actual bullying has gone on. And hopefully I won’t need to add a ‘yet’ to the end of that sentence
I find the best way to deal with trolls (other than ignoring them), is to be overly nice or patronising to them. I address them as “sweetheart” and “princess” and ask them if they’re upset and need a hug. Accusing them of trying to flirt with me also riles them up, as stupid people are invariably homophobic too.
