Trolls, Reality, and Responsibility

Greetings,

We've had some unpleasantness in the last few days between what appear to be
inadvertent multiple posting on a topic that annoys and an out and out troll.
I've seen a number of threads speculating on solutions to the problem. The
following draws on my experience over the past two years.

Trolls will show up no matter what we do. There are just some mean beings out
there who can't stand the thought of others having a good time. Whether they
are one time bugs or repeat offenders, they will be here. We can't control
them, but we can be sure that they don't control us.

The best policy has always been to resist replying to the trolls. It feeds
their need for attention. When they get an angry or annoyed response, it
confirms to them that they've found a vulnerable spot. If you must reply, do so
with humor. Laugh at them, and let them know what a joke they are. And
remember, if you start responding in kind with obscene comments and foul
language, you've lost the battle. The words don't bother them, and your descent
to their level tells them that they are your equals.

For those who wish for a filter on posts, I submit my experience from a chat
room. I was discussing my educational background with some one. I mentioned
that I graduated magna cum laude. The cyber nanny in the room bleeped cum. The
same cyber nanny allows all manner of alternative spellings for a four letter
word ending in "k" synonymous with intercourse (and I don't mean talk). There
are too many variations on phonetic spellings to make that solution practical.
The same problem exists with handle recognition.

Additionally, effective pre-screening could only be accomplished with human
intervention. Individual censors would be inevitably insert their own biases if
even subconciously. And even a random sample approach to a review of posts
would be expensive and further add to the response time for the forums. And in
the final analysis, I don't want someone pre-screening what I read or write. If
something is truly offensive to enough people, and they can justify their
oppions with evidence, then MCA has the option to delete the posts and revoke
priviliges for the poster.

As for heading off known offenders, there is a possible solution. Many
chatrooms have a first time validation code for new users. It is sent to the
user via the e-mail address used at sign on. The MCA forums don't have this
feature. It is incredibly easy to get lists of e-mail addresses and names to
use for sign on. Requiring the person whose e-mail was used to validate the
account would deter this.

In the end it is up to us. We don't have to encourage the vileness by
responding in kind. We can give merely annoying people the benefit of the doubt
by politely telling them what we find unpleasant in their posts. If we can't
resist the impulse to respond to obvious trolls, we can do it humoursly. And
when all else fails and the condition is truly getting ugly, we can send
messages to the forum management documenting our complaints.

Always remember, we are participating in an arena provided by a third party.
They are the ultimate arbitors of acceptability. They have have provided the
opportunity to communicate a wide variety of opinions. They have been quite
open and accepting of our views. We have the obligation to accept the
responsibility for the effects what we say. We should listen with an open mind,
but be willing to speak out when we disagree. The rest of the forum may not
agree with an individual view. The same goes for the management. But so far, as
bad as it has seemed at times, it has worked better than most things in the
rest of the world.

Keep the Faith,

MoonDragon