‘Think for yourselves and allow others the privilege to do so too’
-Voltaire
Hey folks, SinSynn here.
Ah, Voltaire was the man.
Sure, you prolly know him from some of his more famous quotes, like ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,’ and ‘common sense is not so common,’ which is obviously a friggin’ classic, but for the purposes of today’s discussion we’ll go with the quote I, uh…quoted above.
Not following the crowd, being different. These things ain’t easy. Voltaire was one of those cats who wasn’t afraid to put himself out there, and was then prepared to defend himself in the court of popular opinion.
With words.
He was also French, so that’s wassup.
My own narrow, tentacle-bearing butt is of French lineage.
Yep, I’m a Frog who ‘Identifies’ as Xeno, since apparently you can say you ‘Identify’ as sumpthin’ you’re totally not nowadays, and that totes makes it true…fer realz fer realz.
If I could choose a label with which to apply to myself, that label would read ‘skeptic.’
A skeptic is defined as someone who, because they’re a big dumb knucklehead, is ‘a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.’
That suits me fine, if you’d like to label me. And seeing as it’s one of the more popular labels floating around at the moment, I’m okay with it.
…let’s go to the Voltaire well once more…
‘Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.’
Good stuff, amirite? So yeah- skeptic, me.
I mean, if you wanna call me a Xeno, that’s cool too, although it just might be a tad silly…
*Von’s Cat: Also a skeptic. AND YES VON’S CAT IS VERY MUCH A THING NAOW*
Of course, Voltaire was a man who very much believed in God, so I’d prolly question his beliefs, but hey, that hardly diminishes the value of the words the man committed to eternity. Words which still carry considerable power a very, very long time after he left this world.
I, myself, very much enjoy words. This lil’ gig, blessed upon me by two cool, crazy cats by the names of Lauby and Dethtron, has really strengthened this love. I read voraciously, and once again my boneless tentacles are tip-tap-tapping upon a keyboard.
Fill the white wif werds.
To what end?
To ask questions.
*By way of a fer instance, I’m skeptical of the ‘add media’ thingy in WordPress. I think it sucks, and the edit function is stoopid. On another note entirely, this is like one of those kinda pics that Loquacious would use in her posts. Heh.*
In truth, we don’t get to choose our labels. Such is the nature of labels.
Humans can and will label the crap outta everything, with those labels generally falling in line with common stereotypes. Despite some labels perhaps being a somewhat ill fit, stereotypes are malleable things, and will happily stretch to encompass whatever they’re called upon to define.
Good thing, too, otherwise they’d be kinda useless.
Which brings us to the topic of the day: The Internet Troll.
‘Internet Troll’ is mildly redundant, since ‘Trolls’ really only exist on the Internet. Although I did see a crazy documentary once, I remain skeptical regarding the existence of actual Trolls.
Like, the kind that live under bridges an’ whatnot.
*I suspect they made alla dis up. See? That’s the skeptic talking*
Right offa the bat, we’re sort of starting with a huge stereotype; we all have this picture in our heads of what and who the Internet Troll is, don’t we?
Ah, so silly!
*howling Xenos laughter*
Okay, clearly he’s some sad lonely white guy that lives in his parents basement, spending all day and night leaving hurtful/hateful/threatening comments online. He (we did establish that this is a white guy, right? Cuz reasons, an’ stuffs?) also subsists on a diet consisting of only two items- Doritos and Mountain Dew.
The first item might vary- Trolls have apparently been observed eating Cheetos, Pringles and a host of other snack foods if and when they venture outside of the Doritos Food Group.
*This counts as a vegetable*
Well…That’s stoopid.
Whilst I enjoy ‘stoopidity fer da sake of funnie,’ cuz why not? Life is short, and I wanna laugh. A lot, if possible.
What I don’t enjoy is ‘stupidity for the sake of condemning some folks we don’t like.’
So that image of Internet Trolls that we have in our heads (Yes, myself included. I generally see that guy from the South Park World of Warcraft episode) might be Funny with a capitol F, gosh darnit, but it isn’t fair.
Sigh.
I know, Reason and Logic take all the fun outta life sometimes. Now you see why I was so opposed to logic during my first run here at the House.
Stoopid…Reason and Logic.
They’re stoopid.
Hmph.
Anyway, there’s also ‘assumptions‘ an’ whatnot, so let’s not do that, alright?
Instead, let’s take a look at what Internet Trolls do, and judge them based on their actions, K?
K.
*But…But…This is funnier! Wait…Okay, rather than believe that’s a window in the background, I’m gonna believe it’s a very lifelike poster (In a cartoon. Yes. Don’t you judge me), since he’s supposed to live in his parents basement, dammit. My stereotype totally werks!*
Funny thing about Trolls is that they don’t seem to discriminate against anything in particular- they hate everything equally, like some kinda dumb T-Shirt slogan. Trolls hate on everything from Kitteh Videos to random FaceBook posts.
So wadda Internet Trolls do, precisely?
Well, this, by way of a fer instance:
Nurglitch:
Time to head back to rehab?
Lolz.
That was a comment left on my first post back from ‘break.’
Yes, I’m going wif ‘break.’ For perpetuity, we will refer to my somewhat lengthy absence as ‘break.’
Nyah.
Anyway, as an addict (I never use ‘former addict,’ cuz I can be sober forever, but being an addict will always be a lil’ step away) and someone who’s been to rehab, this is intended to be an insult.
Nurglitch typed it, Thor liked it (#TrueColors, I guess *shrug*), and there it is.
Now it would be easy fer me to be all ‘ermahgerd, lookit the hate,’ but think a lil’ deeper.
Nurglitch has clearly been reading my posts if he knows this about me, amirite?
Heh. Guess what?
*Hai, haters! You know you’re reading. Hugz!*
Trolling me is pointless. I’ve been torn up by pros, right here on my own posts, in my own comments. I’ve taken my Internet Bruises and learned from them. I bowed to those who beat me wif werds, and I’ve written my fair share of ‘Okay so I was an idiot’ posts.
Simply click the link that sez SinSynn that’s somewhere on this page. It’s all there. Every embarrassing misstep.
This wasn’t even a very good troll, honestly. It’s just someone too stupid to articulate why they believe I’m wrong…Or whatever it is about my post they didn’t approve of. We’ll never know, cuz stupid.
*shrug*
In truth, I’m somewhat more wounded by Thor throwing it a thumb, but whatever. There won’t be any complaining, ‘thumbs down’ or banhammers outta me.
*shakes it off*
Like I’ve said previously, haters can go ahead and hate on me. I welcome it.
That’s just me, however.
All too many folks step onto this stage unprepared for the potential hate they might receive, and…and…
Damn. I really dunno what to say here other than a lame-ass ‘they don’t deserve the hate they get.’
When you post something, anything, on the Internet, you immediately subject yourself to the scrutiny of everyone that can see what you’ve posted. Unfortunately, there are many on the Internet that enjoy provoking others in a negative manner. While it has been my experience that Trolls tend to melt away when confronted, I’ve seen it go the other way, where the Trolls literally shout someone down with ‘dick jokes’ an’ such.
It’s usually at that point that a Moderator steps in, or some Automated Response is triggered, and threads get shut down, accounts get banned and the Trolls are fat an’ happy cuz they’ve been fed.
It takes next to nothing to attract them, they don’t respond to Reason and Logic, and they seem to have no real goals beyond casting hate and ruining a good thing for everyone.
You can choose to fight this honest-to-gawd level of stupidity, but you’ll never win, really. Even if you see them off with genuine indifference, as I tend to do, they’ll just take their trolling asses elsewhere to continue plying their trade. Haters gonna hate. Trolls gonna troll. I wish I had something here, cuz I’ve seen kids who posted pics of their very first model called things only an adult should be called here on the Internet.
-_-
Normally I’d post a pic right about here. Something funny, maybe, to kinda break things up, but f*ck that. I gotta say sumpthin’ quick:
Sure, I absolutely will defend your right to say whatever you would like to say, under any circumstances.
I also reserve the right to call you a fool.
Okay, pic naow.
*Day 10. I’ve reached California. I have my proposal all memorized. I uh, should prolly stop typing naow*
Casting hate, bullying people.
These things are what dumb people do, cuz it’s what they do.
I can usually find some sliver of understanding in, uh…stupidity (Fer the life of me I can’t imagine why tho -_-), but this is one of those rare instances where I can’t. It’s just all too easy to go anywhere on the Internet and see this kinda behavior, and all I can do is wonder what’s to be gained by acting that way.
Cuz I got nuthin’ here.
I mean, when you see a Troll commenting on a ‘My Baby Takes Her First Steps’ video, you realize this thing is just so pervasive it’s ridiculous. It transcends simple racism, sexism, homophobia and every other garden variety prejudice.
I personally do not approve, of any of it. Unfortunately, my personal approval, or lack thereof, means exactly nothing.
*shrug*
I’ve come to a point where if I post something on the Internet, I am prepared to defend that thing with Logic and Reason.
Er, mostly.
*Cuz I’m totally goin’ to see BabyMetal in May :)*
It’s one thing to post your opinion online and be told why you’re wrong with Logic and Reason.
Hey, you put it out there. Defend it or go home.
It’s another thing altogether to be the target of hateful, perhaps threatening words. And while we all know the vast majority of those threats are just hot air, we live in a society where they sometimes aren’t. There are real dangers for those who put their opinions out there, and it’s impossible to know who’s just being a fool and who means it.
The only real danger anyone should ever face here on the Internet is having their opinions beaten about the virtual head and neck by Reason and Logic.
*No comment necessary*
Free Speech does not protect us from regular ol’ fools nor evil.
There are laws for that.
Apparently there is no end to the depths of hatred on this Earth, and that, more than anything, saddens me.
While it’s a good thing that there are Real Life Laws to deal with genuine threats, say hello to another Monster We Make.
Sigh.
Here we go again…
Dear Internet Trolls,
Congratulations!
The Government (pick one) will point to YOU when they claim they need to create things like ‘Hate Speech’ Laws in order to ‘protect people,’ and those Laws will effectively amount to censorship and everything that comes with it.
They’re doing it already.
That is enough to make me hate you.
Your stupidity will be the downfall of ALL OF THIS.
But sigh. You know what? More than that, I hate to say this (No, really. I really do), but while I always always always will defend the whole Freedom of Speech thing…Damn, yo, I can’t stand with you here, on a personal level.
Ultimately, your stupidity provokes the enemies of Free Speech, and provides them with impetus.
Nice job, idiots.
And seriously- stop picking on people. Thinking you have actual anonymity on the Internet is a mistake, and your actions wrought things like ‘Cyber Bullying’ Laws, so…yeah.
You reap what you sow, in this instance.
Regards,
SinSynn
Folks, if you see a Troll attacking someone, step up. Let the original poster know they’re not alone, that there’s someone out there who will stand with them against the stupid and the hateful. Everyone, and that means everyone, has a right to voice their thoughts on the Internet.
We fight the Stupid, and the amorphous Hatred, with Logic and Reason. We have to. We must. Knowledge and Wisdom trump Ignorance and Prejudice.
Voltaire talked a good game, but check up on him; he wasn’t afraid to call a fool a fool, either.
Until next time, folks- Exit with catchphrase!
(I’m sticking with the classic)
- SinSynn
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