I have to admit it, I do. From time to time I’ll go looking for another message board to browse through, not to go trolling, just to see what’s out there. I’ve never some across one that stacks up to the SDMB, and those I ignore.
Sometimes, however, I come across a forum so filled with stupidity, poor logic, or naivete that the little troll inside me begins to awaken. I feel The Troll stir, rear it’s ugly head, and begin to speak.
I fight the urge. I think about baseball. I check news sites for stories I may have missed. I discuss other things to do with my time at work (working for instance) when I se my therapist. So far, I can say that I’ve kept the urge in check.
Am I alone in my desire to be utterly nasty for no reason, or do some of the other Dopers out there have the same thoughts? Come on, you can tell me. Got a little troll living inside?
Not anymore, but I used to. My first foray into message boards was on a parenting site and, well, I could go on and on, but just lets say that some of the participants seemed to be somewhat single-minded when it came to certain topics and I found it very annoying. I was not above stirring the pot when I encountered that sort of thing.
In another era, trolls were known as “prank callers,” and yes, I was a telephone troll on one occasion to the dean of radio talk shows, *Larry King.
He had a guest (don’t remember who) and the conversation was nuclear war. I got thru and asked “Are you familiar with the research of **Professor Arthur Holmes, who says that even in an all-out nuclear war, some people would probably be resistant to the radiation, and would probably survive?”
The guest’s response: “I don’t find that very encouraging, even if it’s true.”
*A made up name, sorta. It was the name of my 9th grade science teacher.
**This was around 1981. In 1994 or so, I was the first caller when his guest on his CNN TV program was CIA director Woolsey.
I never want to troll. However, I must admit to wanting a sockpuppet, or a hundred of them, very badly indeed. There are so many very strange things I’d like to discuss here, but now that a couple of people know me personally under this username, I really can’t.
I will never, ever, ever register a sock here, and never have, of course. Just for the record. I am a good boy.
I left a message board I had participated in for four years because of excessive trolling. I guess I can see someone wanting to just “stir the pot”, but the endless attacks were so pointless to me.
Funny thing is, the attacks weren’t even against me and they got on my nerves. I’ve always had a bad habit of taking on bullies who prey on weaker people. I almost got myself killed in Vegas once for this trait, but that’s another story.
So, nope, I never have an urge to troll. But, I’m not here to judge anyone.
I troll at one of my boards, but I do it under my real username:D. Some of the posters drive me nuts, so if I’m bored, I do my best to piss them off. It’s a good stress reliever.
Oh my gosh. I just figured out the term “troll”! I always thought it was like the troll under the bridge in the old fairy tales that would grab you as you walked by. Now I get it! It’s like trolling for FISH! Cool! (Those wishing to judge me may refer to the title of this thread.)
Uh, back to the OP: No, I can’t say I have. But this is the only board I’ve ever used.
I organized a bulletin baord invasion once, with tons of folks from a bulletin board that I run. The board only had a few posts for the year; then in a few hours 50 new messges were added. We disappeared as fast as we came.
I once trolled a malt liquor bulletin board, with a Herbert Kornfield style post praising the fo-dog of “Black Fist” that I was reportedly drinking at the time. LOTS of responses; everybody wanted to know where to get it.
I always thought that I would make a superior troll. Like criminals most trolls lack creativity and intelligence. I have a whole bunch of great ideas for trollish behavior.
By that same token I’ve also figured out the perfect way to steal a valuable painting from a well-guarded museum, as well as how to make a Hockey team 100% unbeatable.
I’m not going to tell about the trolling ideas or the paintings, but for the hockey all you need is a really fat guy, like 1,200 pounds or so. Put him on skates and make him the goalie. He’ll just fill up the crease and nobody can ever score.
