# How is this OP not trolling? (IMHO thread about Atheists) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 1, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563 "2013-04-01T19:02:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/21 "2013-04-02T09:26:14Z")
I see it as spoiling the well rather than trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/22 "2013-04-02T10:33:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s a _response_ to an insulting thread title, not _an_ insulting thread title. It’s a response, not an instigation. Since this is an entirely different thread with a different question, no it’s not. It’s another chance for you to pull out your Guiness world record sized broad brush. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/23 "2013-04-02T11:47:33Z")
There are several possible motivations for the OP discussed in this thread: true ignorance and trolling are two. Given that the OP in the other thread waited 12 hours to post again, and then did not address a single reply to his own thread, I’m leaning toward trolling of a really lazy variety. The 2nd post by the OP in that thread: [QUOTE=Bijou Drains] Of course the other group I know who are really full of themselves are Mac users. I remember how they used to tell me how crappy Intel chips were. And then all of a sudden they stopped saying that. Wonder why? Need to find out about that. [/QUOTE] Does that seem sincere or germane? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/24 "2013-04-02T11:53:48Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > germane His nationality has nuthin’ to do with it 😉 You summarized it exactly - a jerky jerk being jerkish, but not trying too hard, and it seems that most Dopers kinda expect that from him/her, so move right past it… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/25 "2013-04-02T11:57:35Z")
Well, _this_ Mac using atheist just sorta snickered. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/26 "2013-04-02T13:06:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Well, _this_ Mac using atheist just sorta snickered. Did you upload the thread to your iGod? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/27 "2013-04-02T13:10:16Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I see it as spoiling the well rather than trolling. Poisoning. Poisoning the well. That is all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/28 "2013-04-02T13:27:40Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Poisoning. Poisoning the well. > > That is all. 😃 I read that as Truman Capote in “Murder by Death”. > [@](#): > > Sidney Wang: Oh, there, voice come from cow on wall… > > Lionel Twain: Moose, moose you imbecile! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/29 "2013-04-02T13:32:05Z")
Not necessarily trolling, but definitely not GD material. Banish that thread to IMHO or MPSIMS! ETA: Was it always in IMHO? I could have sworn I saw it in GD, but I could be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/30 "2013-04-02T13:33:44Z")
I’ve considered posting an observation about intelligence being generally negatively correlated with religiosity. However, I was afraid it would be viewed as offensive/trolling. Plus the religious readers likely wouldn’t understand the ideas presented. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/31 "2013-04-02T14:44:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not necessarily trolling, but definitely not GD material. Banish that thread to IMHO or MPSIMS! > > ETA: Was it always in IMHO? I could have sworn I saw it in GD, but I could be wrong… It was always in IMHO, so I’ll see if any of the IMHO mods wants to weigh in on this one. But as a poster I thought poisoning the well or just being negative is a better description than trolling. The OP hasn’t come back to the thread to explain what he was thinking or why he said what he said, but he posted a negative opinion and a bunch of posters argued with his opinion and description. I don’t think it’s comparable to racial stereotyping or more provocative than a lot of other threads about religion or politics or other things. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/32 "2013-04-02T14:51:04Z")
Thanks **Marley** - I am not surprised by your thoughts, nor of the other Dopers who have posted in this thread saying “meh - we get it; jerky, but not a big deal” - but I guess I still needed to register my POV. Thanks for the discussion, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/33 "2013-04-02T15:24:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Of course the other group I know who are really full of themselves are Mac users. Who cares what Windows users think? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/34 "2013-04-02T15:41:34Z")
That’s o.k.-it’s not like he stereotyped/dumped on anyone _important_ then never followed up. I can see moving a thread that dumped on Jews or African-Americans in this manner to the BBQ Pit(or maybe even closing it), but it’s not like there’s an actual history of systematic discrimination against athests. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/35 "2013-04-02T16:17:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That’s o.k.-it’s not like he stereotyped/dumped on anyone _important_ then never followed up. I can see moving a thread that dumped on Jews or African-Americans in this manner to the BBQ Pit(or maybe even closing it), but it’s not like there’s an actual history of systematic discrimination against athests. Right? It has nothing to do with importance. The problem with the comparison you’re making is that he’s not dumping on people based on their race or ethnicity - he’s “dumping” on the attitude of atheists based on their ideas. While that may be objectionable (and I objected to it), I think it’s less objectionable than stereotyping people based on their racial or ethnic backgrounds. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/36 "2013-04-02T16:26:42Z")
As an IMHO mod, I don’t see it as trolling…seems like it could be a legitimate question. There really isn’t any reason to close it down or take any action (right now), in my opinion…usually threads like that–if they have no more significant discussion–will just drop off the front page on their own, over time. Mind you, this is only one mods opinion (of three) of that forum. Another mod may disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/37 "2013-04-02T16:38:02Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > ETA: **Morganstern** - why not? Because most of us find any derogatory comment (based on membership in that race) about members of any race unacceptable. Theist and Atheist are typically have chosen their side and really could care less what the other side thinks. Edit for clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/38 "2013-04-02T16:38:29Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > … I thought poisoning the well or just being negative is a better description than trolling. I had to look up what poisoning the well means, in the sense of discussions. Wiki had a definition: > [@](#): > > Poisoning the well (or attempting to poison the well) is a rhetorical device where adverse information about a target is pre-emptively presented to an audience, with the intention of discrediting or ridiculing everything that the target person is about to say. … > In general usage, poisoning the well is the provision of any information that may produce a biased result. For example, if a woman tells her friend, “I think I might buy this beautiful dress”, then asks her friend’s opinion of the dress, she has “poisoned the well”, as her previous comment could affect her friend’s response . > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > More a matter of “well, it’s not like you can _expect_ anything better from a believer”; the thread title is clearly insulting, but that’s the norm for believers. I fear that you’re right on that one. Such a blind spot for one’s own smugness is not a trait of believers, though; it is just the trait of the majority of people who have never questioned the beleifs they’ve been brought up with. Majority atheist Netherlanders have the same automatic response to believers. At least in the US, atheists usually have made an conscious effort to get to where they are, so they can imagine the previous mindset, while the non-questioning believer can not. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/39 "2013-04-02T18:25:50Z")
I think accusations of trolling get thrown around too readily. In my opinion, it’s not trolling unless the poster’s primary intent was to cause offense. But if a person really believes what they’re saying - even if it’s offensive - then it’s more like witnessing than trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563/40 "2013-04-02T18:39:26Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > As an IMHO mod, I don’t see it as trolling…seems like it could be a legitimate question. > There really isn’t any reason to close it down or take any action (right now), in my opinion…usually threads like that–if they have no more significant discussion–will just drop off the front page on their own, over time. This impresses me as pretty - well - unimpressive. “Are there any [insert group] that aren’t [insert unflattering adjective]?” What are the limits of groups and adjectives that would make it not a legitimate question? If I suspect one member of an identifiable group to have fucked a goat, I can imply all members of that group share his proclivities? And do you really wish to allow the response an OP gets to dictate policy as to the OP itself? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-op-not-trolling-imho-thread-about-atheists/654563.md?page=3)