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From: purplekloudz@webtv.net (Anna S)
Newsgroups: fido.anything_goes
Subject: PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF A TROLL
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 17:57:45 -0500 (CDT)
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What Is A Troll?

The term derives from "trolling", a style of fishing which involves
trailing bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The troll posts a
message, often in response to an honest question, that is intended to
upset, disrupt or simply insult the group.

Usually, it will fail, as the troll rarely bothers to match the tone or
style of the group, and usually its ignorance shows.

Why do trolls do it?

Most trolls are sad people, living their lonely lives vicariously
through those they see as strong and successful.

Disrupting a stable newsgroup gives the illusion of power, - just as for
a few, stalking a strong person allows them to think they are strong,
too. 

For trolls, any response is 'recognition'; they are unable to
distinguish between irritation and admiration; their ego grows directly
in proportion to the response, regardless of the form or content of that
response.

Trolls, rather surprisingly, dispute this, claiming that it's a game or
joke; this merely confirms the diagnosis; how sad do you have to be to
find such mind-numbingly trivial timewasting to be funny?

Remember that trolls are cowards; they'll usually post just enough to
get an argument going, then sit back and count the responses (Yes,
that's what they do!). 

How can troll posts be recognised?

No Imagination - Most are frighteningly obvious; sexist comments on
nurses' groups, blasphemy on religious groups .. I kid you not.

Pedantic in the Extreme - Many trolls' preparation is so thorough, that
while they waste time, they appear so ludicrous from the start that they
elicit sympathetic mail - the danger is that once the group takes sides,
the damage is done.

False Identity - Because they are cowards, trolls virtually never write
over their own name, and often reveal their trolliness (and lack of
imagination) in the chosen ID. As so many folk these days use false ID,
this is not a strong indicator on its own!

Crossposting - Any post that is crossposted to several groups should be
viewed as suspicious, particularly if unrelated or of opposing
perspective. Why would someone do that?

Off-topic posting - Often genuine errors, but, if from an 'outsider'
they deserve matter-of-fact response; if genuine, a brief apposite
response is simply netiquette; if it's a troll post, you have denied it
its reward.

Repetition of a question or statement is either a troll - or a pedant;
either way, treatment as a troll is effective.

Missing The Point - Trolls rarely answer a direct question - they
cannot, if asked to justify their twaddle - so they develop a fine line
in missing the point.
Thick or Sad - Trolls are usually sad, lonely folk, with few social
skills; they rarely make what most people would consider intelligent
conversation. However, they frequently have an obsession with their IQ
and feel the need to tell everyone. This is so frequent, that it is
diagnostic! Somewhere on the web there must be an intelligence test for
Trolls - rigged to always say "above 150"

One troll famously tried to infiltrate a mensa group; the results read
like 100 trolls and one regular, it didn't have a chance - but it was
stupid enough to persist until removed.

Eradication

The key to trolls is their social inadequacy - once rumbled, they
quickly go rabid - and their lack of intelligence. Let's face it, no
intelligent person would bother. This means that any response is a
response to a sad thicko; best not bother


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