PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
Barry Stanton
I always thought a troll was (in folklore) an ugly cave-dwelling creature depicted as either a giant or a dwarf but in the modern day world the definition of a troll is somewhat different. A troll now can be best described as one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.
I could add that both definitions could describe some of the regular forum posters but that would be guessing of course because most prefer their anonymity and hide behind their computer screens spitting vitriolic nonsense knowing that there is no one there to stop them. I guess in the classroom they would be called bully’s but I think that is being too generous to them for at least bully’s do risk retribution from the poor innocent victims. These cowardly trolls know that even if they break the law in carrying out their activities the likelihood of ever being brought to task is zero!
What should be a place for healthy discussion, for people to air their views or ask for help or information has now turned into a battleground for every troll, thug and criminal that frequent this industry. I strongly believe in freedom of speech but I do so in the knowledge there are laws that need to be adhered to and know not to make statements as fact if I don’t have an ounce of evidence to support them.
Their policy of using any means to expose what they see as wrongdoing and illegal activity is shameful. Some of these individuals thinking they are the “greyhound police” use their results as reason for their activity no matter how illegal or how much it could hurt the individuals involved. Look at the recent spate of private telephone calls being illegally recorded and then published on YouTube. Who do these people think they are? This is an invasion of privacy, an illegal act and could potentially ruin the individuals involved in the trolls search for personal gratification.
Of course these people really aren’t searching for anything other than trying to get their own back for what they see as a personal injustice whatever that may have been. Maybe they’ve been warned off, fined, subjected to investigation or generally unsuccessful in their careers. Whatever the reason these trolls are doing the industry a disservice. Their activities and comments are bringing the industry into disrepute and they are giving ammunition to everyone who would like to see the end of this fantastic sport of ours.
They also disrupt the discussion on a forum and damage the feeling of trust and many honest questions may be quickly rejected as those of a troll. This can be quite off-putting to the new user who upon first posting is immediately bombarded with angry accusations. They will soon leave as is happening now and what is left is a small group of posters who appear to be more interested in the fight than the cause they purport to represent.
Experienced members of online forums know that the most effective way to discourage a troll is to ignore them because responding tends to encourage trolls to continue disruptive posts. However it surely is the duty of a moderator to police the forums they are responsible for not to contribute and in some cases incite arguments that are food and drink for the trolls that are always lurking close to the action.
I am an advocate of forums. I believe a well run site can provide a place to express views and healthy debate without fear of retribution and to meet people with like interests. Unfortunately what we generally have are dark places where the faint hearted should not venture. Battlegrounds where the resident trolls monitor every key stroke waiting to pounce.
It’s sad that we cannot express our views without threat of vitriol, but for those brave souls that do let’s keep the discussions going it’s healthy for the sport and so long as the rest of us don’t feed the trolls the sport will be a better place for it.
