Trolls = low life?

[JazzBones]

Last night I watched the 'Tonight' programme on ITV (7:30pm). Jonathan Maitland, the presenter, was bringing to the viewers' attention the cruelty inflicted on selected and innocent people who frequent and use sites such as Twitter and FaceBook by mindless, anomalous cretins who are generally referred to as Trolls. Apparently, they are now a collective and join forces to inflict suffering on others... what on earth do they get out of it FFS? Maitland interviewed the only self proclaimed Troll, who of course wanted to remain anonymous, brave brave man, who said that it gave them pleasure and that the Troll, itself, was not responsible but the victim!!!!!! What sort of world and mind set inhabits cyberspace, internet etc nowadays??? I personally, don't subscribe to FaceBook as it is, for me, uninteresting or Twitter same reason, could I be missing out on something, could I become a target, that would be interesting? In my day, I'm an oldy now with a fading punch but still in possession of a lethal upwards knee blow, you could confront a bully and take care of business, not now, they hide away and carry on their torment of your young teenage daughter to someone who they have taken their own irrational dislike to without leaving their grubby little grottos or being accountable... what say you?:mad:

[Gordon Steadman]

Low life is right. I just can't understand the mind set that gets pleasure from other people's pain.

I also can't understand the attraction of twitter and facebook and any other site of their ilk although I suppose, to a degree, its a bit like belonging to a forum like this. Just making contact.

However, there appear to be almost no rules as to reasonable behaviour. I wouldn't even bother locking the trolls up and throwing away the key. They would just go straight on my disappear list.

[Marco]

They do it because they are sad, unfulfilled, lonely fuckers with no proper lives of their own, possibly because their life experiences have damaged them psychologically in some way.

Therefore, they're jealous of other people's contentment and happiness and try to spoil that, as it gives them a morbid sense of satisfaction and self-worth (can you think of someone else we know that this aptly applies to? ;))

Give me 10 mins in a room alone with these no-hope losers and I'd 'adjust their perspective' somewhat...... :trust:

As Greg wrote recently on the 'Tyranny of Hi-fi' thread:


"There is nothing worse than retained resentment. It stagnates and grows in the mind to become a total obsession, felt in the heart. Thereafter, if not sorted, all becomes miserable madness."


There are a lot of depressingly joyless folk out there, keen to spoil things for others!

Marco.

[bobbasrah]

One of these "who guards the guards" conundrums IMO Ron.
Anonymity is a presumed (wrongly) state in this internet age, and some of these idiots would be horrified by public identification, they thrive on the notion they are anonymous, even as a gang.

[JazzBones]

Hi Gordon, the sad part in all this is that youngsters on the first tentative step through life have gone no further and have been driven by these trolls to end their own lives without ever realizing their own potential. I myself wonder at modern life when you see people staring into their palms (smart Phone?), talking to themselves (hands free mobile) or worse still shouting into their mobiles as if they don't trust the ability of said phone to transmit their verbiage and back it up with shear vocal volume. Having said all this I have bought my first Smartphone and after sorting out initial problems (I'm still on a learning curve with this one). Do you think we should bring back the medieval stocks for people/trolls who cause society pain and upset?

[Marco]

One of these "who guards the guards" conundrums IMO Ron.
Anonymity is a presumed (wrongly) state in this internet age, and some of these idiots would be horrified by public identification, they thrive on the notion they are anonymous, even as a gang.

Why do think that all new members posting in the Welcome room and introducing themselves here is mandatory? ;)

The only folk we want on AoS are real ones, here for constructive reasons!

Marco.

[JazzBones]

[QUOTE=Marco;480831]They do it because they are sad and lonely fuckers with no life of their own, possibly because their life experiences have damaged them psychologically in some way. Therefore, they're jealous of other people's contentment and happiness and try to spoil that, as it gives them a morbid sense of satisfaction and self-worth (can you think of someone else we know that this aptly applies to? ;))

Give me 10 mins in a room alone with these no-hope losers and I'd 'adjust their perspective' somewhat...... :trust:

As Greg wrote recently on the 'Tyranny of Hi-fi' thread:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have stroked my beard, scratched my crotch and looked vacantly out of the window trying to remember whom and can only come up with Heinrich Himmler or Arthur Scargill... am I right :eyebrows:?

[Marco]

Soz, Ron, don't know what you're trying to say? :scratch:

Marco.

[pjdowns]

I am not sure why people do this but they do!

From my own experiences, I can only see that it relates to the anomity of the Tinternet and nothing more because most of these 'Trolls' wouldn't be brave enough to challange people face-to-face.

It's reminds me of the time when I was in a town centre in West Sussex out for a few bevies with the boys when someone decided they were going to cause agrow.. they kept shouting 'Come on then' but as they were saying it they were stepping away from me... my point: all talk and no bollocks!

P.

[Andrei]

... who said that it gave them pleasure and that the Troll, itself, was not responsible but the victim ...
Absolutely true. All one can do is repeat "Don't feed the Trolls". Their food is attention, but it is the victims who feed them, and they will continue to do so. Like all of us they need attention.

[Gordon Steadman]

Hi Gordon, the sad part in all this is that youngsters on the first tentative step through life have gone no further and have been driven by these trolls to end their own lives without ever realizing their own potential. I myself wonder at modern life when you see people staring into their palms (smart Phone?), talking to themselves (hands free mobile) or worse still shouting into their mobiles as if they don't trust the ability of said phone to transmit their verbiage and back it up with shear vocal volume. Having said all this I have bought my first Smartphone and after sorting out initial problems (I'm still on a learning curve with this one). Do you think we should bring back the medieval stocks for people/trolls who cause society pain and upset?

The stocks sounds like an entirely reasonable idea to me. I'll have first pop.

I guess one of the problems is that for so many young people, the phones, internet and mail have become the only way they interact and how they see themselves fit into the world.This surely can be the only reason for them being driven to suicide. I seem to remember have my own insecurities when I were a lad, but most of them were private and internal rather than being broadcast to the world.

[pjdowns]

The stocks sounds like an entirely reasonable idea to me.

Such a true statement Gordon!

[The Black Adder]

People generally feel 'safe' on the net. But that is sooooo not true. To every action there is a reaction and whoever that reaction comes from whether it's based on psychological issues or built on intent to harm/disturb there will always be someone there waiting, all they need to is to find you.

It's sad that the net isn't a safe place but because it's slick and clean looks is enough to pull down peoples defenses. The net should be seen as that lonely, dirty, dark and damp passageway behind the chippy.

I think people should wake up (especially some parents) and be more aware of what they are doing on twitter, facebook etc. There are nutters on the net and ones that I wouldn't hesitate to give a good kicking.

No matter how much policing ,hardware security, software word security there is in place the fact remains that the net is generally 100,000,000 times bigger than what most people think it is.

...."Oh, I've now got Mcafee installed then that's O.K." It's a joke, a HUGE money making joke.

Safety starts with common sense.

[Cotlake]

It's sad that the net isn't a safe place but because it's slick and clean looks is enough to pull down peoples defenses. The net should be seen as that lonely, dirty, dark and damp passageway behind the chippy.

Safety starts with common sense.

Excellent advise. Your dark alley analogy is spot on.

[Macca]

The internet is dangerous now? I don't think so. The problem is surely that it is completely safe. Walk into a rough pub and start trolling and see how long it takes for someone to smack you in the mouth.

As for kids commiting suicide - they have it too easy these days, everything on a plate, prizes for all. They don't have to struggle to achieve anything and so they do not develop a robust sense of self esteem and cannot see beyond the criticisms of others.

[Firebottle]

As for kids commiting suicide - they have it too easy these days, everything on a plate, prizes for all. They don't have to struggle to achieve anything and so they do not develop a robust sense of self esteem and cannot see beyond the criticisms of others.

With great sadness I can only agree with what you say Martin.
Web activity will never equate to 'real world' experience. Don't fancy the smack in the mouth though:eek:

:cheers: Alan

[The Black Adder]

The internet is dangerous now? I don't think so. The problem is surely that it is completely safe. Walk into a rough pub and start trolling and see how long it takes for someone to smack you in the mouth.


What I was trying to get across is that because it's so detached from reality people assume it's a safe practice. It's fraught with people trying to get 'a win' (as the hackers say) something whether it's financial, psychological or both.

There are some really nasty people out there with an open door in front of them and everyone is inside at the party.

It can be safe 'if you use your loaf' but you must see this from a totally opposite point of view. People who are not web savvy quite frankly don't know the dangers, they think everyone is their friend and that their laptop has a hard impermeable shell around it. They officially get told they are safe because they have just spent £30 on some awful software from PC World. It's nuts...

[Rothchild]

I don't think anonymity is a pre-requisite for trolling and indeed most of what gets labled as trolling in the press and so on isn't really, I'd call it 'griefing' or potentially 'flame-baiting', but then seeing as they can't adequately tell the difference betwen hacking and cracking there's little hope that they'll recognise the nuances of social culture online that make up the difference.

As for the chip shop analogy I'd say it's more like a large shopping centre, clean, well presented, security (McAfee or otherwise) present but it's a money sucking sponge designed to stop you thinking for yourself and turn you in to a serf (and yes, you'll quite likely get mugged in the carpark too if you're not careful)