I feel terrible....... Trolls on Forums

[Joe]

I very much doubt that any of us is really capable of 'seeing ourselves as others see us'. The faults we are quickest to point out in others are, almost invariably, our own most glaring faults that we are unable to see.

It is worth bearing in mind the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt: 'If you can't think of anything nice to say about anyone, come right over here and sit next to me'.

[Marco]

What I find interesting is when trolls take it to the next level and delude themselves that their childishness and nastiness is providing some sort of 'public service'. I suppose it is a way of dealing with the cognitive dissonance they must occasionally experience. After all, even Hitler believed that he was actually a force for good.

Ha - that's funny, and oh so true!

The "public service" in question is nonsense, of course, and in reality simply a smokescreen, justifying their mania for criticising others, the purpose of which is simply to deflect attention from their own (very obvious) personality disorders, and reaffirm their delusion.

Essentially, performing said "public service" acts as a comfort blanket, which is the main reason why the perpetrator values its existence so much.

The other highly amusing (and ridiculous) thing is the idea that one's behaviour should somehow conform to their 'notion of correctness', in order to prevent them from criticising you. One would be tempted to consider that if:

a) the suggestion was coming from someone normal or who's opinion you respected, and b) they didn't suffer from the very same personality traits they're accusing their 'victims' of!

However, as Gary says, the self-delusion simply runs too deep, to allow them to see themselves as they *really* are......

Marco.

[Marco]

I very much doubt that any of us is really capable of 'seeing ourselves as others see us'. The faults we are quickest to point out in others are, almost invariably, our own most glaring faults that we are unable to see.

It is worth bearing in mind the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt: 'If you can't think of anything nice to say about anyone, come right over here and sit next to me'.

I like that quote, Joe. In terms of the bit in bold, I completely agree, and ALL of us, without exception, suffer from that to some degree. It's simply human nature.

The difference, however, is that most of us don't make a career out of verbally assassinating people, to the point of pure harassment and persecution, devoting an entire section of their website to fulfilling that purpose, cunningly disguised as a 'public service', whilst being *so painfully* ignorant of their OWN most glaring faults!

It's beyond comical, and the behaviour of someone with a very real form of personality disorder themselves, witnessed in sharp focus by everyone living outside of their 'world'.

Marco.

[walpurgis]

I very much doubt that any of us is really capable of 'seeing ourselves as others see us'. The faults we are quickest to point out in others are, almost invariably, our own most glaring faults that we are unable to see.

Not sure I agree. I'm aware of my faults and try not to let them intrude into my being a reasonable person. Others may see it differently though.

[Pharos]

As someone who has had to study psychology a great deal, I am not convinced that this behaviour is severe enough to be considered an illness as much as a personality disorder which is milder.

The origins it seems to me are in our patterns of survival strategy in our society which is one of competitive, and resultantly alienated co-existence. I think many personality types are formed, perhaps subconsciously, in the early years from (often panic) realisations of the magnitude of what is going on regarding the pickings and potential statuses at stake in life.

There are those who readily grasp an aggressive stance, which may be taken to extreme, and which often works because it 'backfoots' the more sensitive and less aggressive types, and this can gain momentum and become an embedded strategy.
They are more content it seems with self aggrandisement and acquisition than with approval of others, let alone popularity.

My original reference for this was my own Father, who was so critical of my behaviour both intellectually and morally, that focus was always on me to the point of obscuring his own performance. Ultimately he is now visible as pretty poor in both respects, but the narcissistic ego driven aggression continued to deflect any focus on him and keep him from being 'under the spotlight'.

I know of a now retired Sales Director who worked 25 years ago for a major active loudspeaker company, and more recently for a smaller one which sold only direct to the public, who has a widespread reputation for arrogance and bombastic bullying, and is loathed by vast swathes of the audio community. His strategy was to 'clone' his customers' psychology, in essence, by bullying them into buying. He successfully improved sales of the former company which was previously in trouble.

I actually have a 45 min recording of this man telling me that I effectively have 'cloth ears' because I could not instantly hear the superiority of his loudspeakers, recorded from my own Samplephone.

I want a world in which we consider each others' needs and feelings, not alienated from each other, but helping our peers as friends, not in a free for all, but some form of meritocracy, but those who want to harness the manpower of 'the masses' end up 'dividing and ruling' the majority who just want to live . Philip Green, Mike Ashley, (of "I own you" fame).

My fear is that beneath all the supposed intellectual refinement and subtle finesse which our liberal elite propound, the real dynamics are those at a very guttural level, the most animal; bullying, intimidation, self aggrandisement and desire for a comfort zone, status wise, and with opulence.

They will inevitably experience cognitive dissonance because reality is always seeping in, and even they have to recognise that other differing opinions or views must have some value.

I am not sure that we criticise most in others the faults we ourselves possess, but in the last few years I have made a deliberate attempt to when seeing bad behaviour in others, not internally criticise them, but to say to myself; "I will not be that way".

[Marco]

Not sure I agree. I'm aware of my faults and try not to let them intrude into my being a reasonable person...

I think most of us set out with that goal in mind, Geoff, but sadly don't always achieve it

Marco.

[struth]

Think the problem for many of these people is that being they way they are is like a drug to them. Once they have adapted to the false sense of high self esteem, then they just cant get enough. Deep down they may realise its dragging them deeper into a mire but that feeling of achievement of doing their so called duty is so attractive, and needed they just feel they have to go on.

[blackstar]

Think the problem for many of these people is that being they way they are is like a drug to them. Once they have adapted to the false sense of high self esteem, then they just cant get enough. Deep down they may realise its dragging them deeper into a mire but that feeling of achievement of doing their so called duty is so attractive, and needed they just feel they have to go on.

Agreed, and HiFi forums, as I've said before, are littered with these types; even here. The protagonists don't even know it, or don't care. Their 'friends' should stand up and let them know, quietly, then these places might be a little more friendly.

[Joe]

Not sure I agree. I'm aware of my faults and try not to let them intrude into my being a reasonable person. Others may see it differently though.

I think most of us try to do that, but I also think we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt; ie, the faults we recognise in ourselves and admit to are what we would regard as amiable, forgiveable failings, whereas the faults that we are quickest to identify in others are often our own worst, unrecognised failings, projected on to them. But of course I'm generalising, which is one of my worst faults.

[Marco]

As clear evidence of the delusion in question, witness the following from one such troll, speaking about the "public service" he's brainwashed himself into believing that his chosen forum has succeeded to provide, as an 'antidote' to their enemy:

My apologies, as many of you may not know whom or what he's referring to, however his commentary below serves the purpose of showcasing said delusion:

Services to Hifi , [a banned forum] has to-date performed in respect of AOS

Exposing the reality of the owner .
Establishing he stole it from steve toy
exposing shilling of Mcru { who eventually left on account of our intervention}
exposing the shilling of Hifi dave
providing a voice to be people unfairly banned - 12 I think , remember mendeslonplums
Exposing the debacle that was Slic
Exposing the debacle that was Martint's £695 mains lead
Exposing the debacle that was Gazjam mcru streamer relationship
Exposing the rhetoric of RFC
Exposing the ridiclousness of pinkys electronic knowledge and bmu
Exposing the ridiculousness of gazjam fuses thread
The conversion of DSJR
Causing the reasonable mods to leave and set up a barmy , but far more benign forum
The provision of expert counter knowledge to balance the ridiculousness of hundreds of bollocks threads

As you can see, not only does that delusion run deep (as some of the above is simply fantasy), but so does a breathtaking level of arrogance, causing said troll to consider that he's in a qualified position to act as arbiter for the accuracy of such claims, especially in relation to what is deemed as "bollocks" - or even more laughably, "expert counter knowledge".

Of course, the irony of those remarks certainly isn't lost on those of us who know the character concerned!

Further confirming his brainwashed delusion, he opines, thus:

...there are 14996 posts which have had 700,000 views each one a service to hifi or in the alternative a laugh out loud response to the ridiculousness of the forum and its owner.

Indeed, 14996 posts that simply serve to demonstrate an unhealthy hate-fuelled mania, obsessing over the behaviour of others, subsequently showcasing both their author's nasty childishness, unwillingness to let bygones be bygones, and their obvious discontentment with life, whilst the targets of their jealousy and resentment have blissfully got on with their (conversely) contented ones.

The 700,000 views quoted simply confirm the membership activity, fuelling the above obsession, minus a goodly dose of that from onlookers, tuning in for their daily dose of comedy, in the vein of 'let's laugh at what the loons are saying today'. A "laugh out loud response" indeed!!

I rest my case

Marco.