Difference between a "troll", and someone who sincerely holds a loathsome opinion

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@Max_S

I don’t know if I have or could imagine myself having a similar opinion that’s so far out there that it’s not worth bringing up. Maybe there are opinions about trifling matters that aren’t worth the time and effort of articulating, but I won’t censure myself on these forums if I feel my opinions are out of line.

It’s not worth bringing up because I think it’ll hijack threads. I’ve talked with plenty of people before about it, and I can see the other side, but I still hold the opinion.

My point, however, is that if I brought it up constantly, knowing that it would outrage people, and especially if I were bringing it up in tangential threads, I’d be trolling for all purposes.

(FWIW, the opinion–which I’m not gonna discuss here, but am offering to show that I’m not just making shit up–is that for most people, under most circumstances, joining the armed forces is an unethical decision, and that the military should not therefore be celebrated with holidays, parades, etc. I know that most folks find this opinion appalling and risible, which is why I so rarely bring it up).

[Velocity]

^^^^ (That’s a lot milder an opinion that what I was expecting)

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

@Velocity

^^^^ (That’s a lot milder an opinion that what I was expecting)

Fair. I’ve gotten mellow in my old age.

[Max_S]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

Fair. I’ve gotten mellow in my old age.

Yeah, you had me thinking it would involve declawing cats or something.

But you make a good point about insincerity. Trolling is not the same as insincerity.

~Max

[BigT]

@ASL_v2.0

Do you consider devil’s advocacy to be a form of trolling, or distinct from? Because a devil’s advocate may, as a troll, seek to bait and anger, but not necessarily with malicious intent.

The entire point of revealing that you are just being a devil’s advocate is to try and mitigate anger that might be directed towards the person for making such an argument.

As such, it follows that hiding that you are being a devil’s advocate means that you are aware that what you are saying will likely anger people, and avoiding doing anything to mitigate that. At best, not revealing does nothing. At worst, it unnecessarily engenders hostility, and thus harms the discussion. There is no outcome where it makes things better.

It also harms you in further posting, as you now have a reputation for having certain beliefs that you do not hold. Your inconsistency will be used against you, if shown. You will be assumed to have been trolling due to this inconsistency, and belatedly arguing devil’s advocacy will not be believed.

So whether it is strictly trolling or not, the outcome is the same as if it were trolling. You might as well avoid it.

Instead, if you feel that a situation requires a “devil’s advocate” (which is, IMHO, rare here), be sure to reveal this as you are doing it, and make your argument accordingly. Make sure it’s clear to everyone that you don’t believe what you are saying.

(And make sure you don’t actually believe what you are saying. If you ever make the same argument under other circumstances, people will assume the claim of devil’s advocacy is a lie.)