The cyclic nature of trolling here

[billvon 2,400]

As a few people have noted, there seem to be occasional surges of trolling behavior here; we are going through one now.  Part of that is due to how the new banning system works.  Rather than the mods deciding "that person is no good and has to go" there is now a system that automatically sets escalating bans (and finally permanent bans) when we warn people for posting attacks on other posters, telling pedophilic jokes etc.  It's a little more objective than making such decisions on our own, and puts numeric limits on how many times you can attack someone (for example.)

So that means that occasionally trollers can "line up" in terms of times they are banned and times that they are back.  And since they seem to egg each other on, there's a decent probablility that several will get banned around the same time and come back at around the same time.

But I think there's another factor that has to do with the sort of environment that makes such people feel better.

There have been several studies done on how music and color affects people.  One recent study shows that people who are angry are calmed by "extreme" heavy metal music.  This was touted as surprising in the study, but it agrees with earlier research that suggests that music and/or ambient colors that agree with a person's emotions tend to calm them and de-escalate negative emotion - whether that emotion is sadness, or anger, or rage, or resignation.

In the words of Elton John, 'there are times when we all need to share a little pain' because when you are suffering 'it's easier to have those songs around.'

And that applies to online forums as well.

Recently several right wingers have been trolling pretty heavily on here, on the same themes that they always do.  And I suspect at least part of that is to calm their own sadness and anger over what's happening to the republican party in the US.  It's not a good time to be a republican - a "red wave" that turned into a red trickle and an actual blue senate, a new republican laughingstock worthy of a Mel Brooks movie, a republican house who can't even elect a speaker, a democratic party coming off successes with infrastructure, budget and insulin bills, and a Trump in terminal decline.  They see chaos and division everywhere they look in their party - and if they can sow chaos and division online, well, they feel a little better for the same reason that sad songs make a blue Elton John feel a little better.

(And yes, that happens with left wingers too when their side is having problems.)

Fortunately there's an easy way to handle that if it bothers you.  We now have a handy ignore feature that lets you not see any posts from those people.  That way they get to post things that (they imagine) sows the chaos that makes them feel better, and people who don't want to see it can ignore it.  (Yes, the system's not perfect, but it works fairly well.)

And as most of you probably know, the way that trolls "win" is to get you so mad that you say "you're a fucking idiot" then you get warned/banned and the troll keeps posting away.  Don't let them win.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00272/full

https://www.elitedaily.com/p/does-music-change-your-mood-science-says-its-actually-the-other-way-around-9005297

[kallend 1,623]

Three of our regular trollers (who may or may not be sockpuppets) have been on my ignore list for a long time.  

 

All I see is the titles of threads they start**, and quoted content.  For the most part I have exercised enough self control to avoid feeding them.

** Sometimes a majority of threads at the top of the list are from the same trolls.

[airdvr 197]

2 hours ago, kallend said:

Three of our regular trollers (who may or may not be sockpuppets) have been on my ignore list for a long time.  

Did I make the club perfesser? 

[Phil1111 910]

14 minutes ago, airdvr said:

Did I make the club perfesser? 

Missed by ll much!

[kallend 1,623]

No.  I disagree with you a lot but you aren't a troll.

[BIGUN 1,053]

15 hours ago, billvon said:

Recently several right wingers have been trolling pretty heavily on here, on the same themes that they always do.  And I suspect at least part of that is to calm their own sadness and anger over what's happening to the republican party in the US.  It's not a good time to be a republican - a "red wave" that turned into a red trickle and an actual blue senate, a new republican laughingstock worthy of a Mel Brooks movie, a republican house who can't even elect a speaker, a democratic party coming off successes with infrastructure, budget and insulin bills, and a Trump in terminal decline.  They see chaos and division everywhere they look in their party

I get tired of their chanting the latest talking head's talking points. One of my main reasons for being on here is the balance. You and I have tussled a couple of times, but it's been mostly an intellectual/educational process. 

I "believe" you have been more than lenient to some of our current right-wing trolls and have booted many a left-wing troll for less. The current one's aren't even trying to provide some insight. It's just, "Let me regurgitate what Tuckerson, Hannity, et.al., said today. 

Fuck it. Boot 'em. They add nothing to the discussion. 

[gowlerk 1,912]

1 hour ago, BIGUN said:

It's just, "Let me regurgitate what Tuckerson, Hannity, et.al., said today. 

Fuck it. Boot 'em. They add nothing to the discussion. 

That's not completely true. I get to find out what the idiot talking heads have been saying without actually tuning in.

[BIGUN 1,053]

6 hours ago, gowlerk said:

I get to find out what the idiot talking heads have been saying without actually tuning in.

My favorite is using YouTube as a source citation.  

[billvon 2,400]

1 hour ago, BIGUN said:

My favorite is using YouTube as a source citation.  

Almost as good as using Dropzone.com as a source!

[murps2000 86]

1 hour ago, BIGUN said:

My favorite is using YouTube as a source citation.  

Or even better, creedence lyrics.

[gowlerk 1,912]

43 minutes ago, murps2000 said:

Or even better, creedence lyrics.

Courtesy of J Fogerty

First thing I remember
Was asking Papa, "Why?"
For there were many things I didn't know
And Daddy always smiled
Took me by the hand
Saying, "Someday you'll understand"

[ryoder 1,384]

44 minutes ago, murps2000 said:

Or even better, creedence lyrics.

It ain't me, it ain't me.

[billeisele 122]

2 hours ago, gowlerk said:

Courtesy of J Fogerty

First thing I remember
Was asking Papa, "Why?"
For there were many things I didn't know
And Daddy always smiled
Took me by the hand
Saying, "Someday you'll understand"

This makes me want to spin some more albums.

The kids were interested so we started using the turntable over the holidays. Have some great music on vinyl. They liked the Beatles albums from the late 60's and 70's. Peter Frampton, Boz Scaggs, Pink Floyd, Gordon Lightfoot, Fogerty, etc.

[Coreece 190]

On 1/5/2023 at 7:48 AM, BIGUN said:

The current one's aren't even trying to provide some insight. It's just, "Let me regurgitate what Tuckerson, Hannity, et.al., said today. 

As far as this forum is concerned, I can only assume you're talking about people like Phil and Joe Webs.  Tho I like Joe's style and he only did it once, so I'll give him a pass.

[brenthutch 383]

When one gets banned for listing the attributes of an AR-15 on a forum that EXPLICITLY states “guns” as an appropriate topic…. Something is wrong.

[brenthutch 383]

On 1/4/2023 at 9:21 PM, kallend said:

No.  I disagree with you a lot but you aren't a troll.

• Trolls are only the ones that make him look foolish.

Edited January 7, 2023 by brenthutch

[JoeWeber 2,299]

On 1/5/2023 at 6:07 PM, billvon said:

Almost as good as using Dropzone.com as a source!

Correct, and for a bonus, which DZ.com member, and recently, mentioned getting his information here?