# I pit over-the-top Anti-Trump hysteria **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 5, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735 "2025-08-05T18:11:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 111
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2388 "2026-07-21T02:22:04Z")
Troll ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2389 "2026-07-21T02:23:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Now that I have informed you that I find the word but offensive, how should you respond? If i believed you honestly found the word “but” offensive, i would try to avoid using it when talking to you. I wouldn’t avoid using it in other contexts, because it’s an incredibly common word, and I’ve never run into anyone else who is offended by it. I do try to be aware of my audience, however. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2390 "2026-07-21T02:25:51Z")
Okay, here’s a suggestion as long as we have a moderator handy. How about we move all of the posts regarding the use of the word hysteria off into a separate thread where people who want to argue that issue can post. And we will return this thread to discussion of whether accusations of Trump planning genocide, slavery, and/or nuclear war help or hinder opposition to Trump and the Republications. One thread for etymology. One thread for politics. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2391 "2026-07-21T02:27:52Z")
Whereas I would respond by calling them either a trolling liar, or a lying troll. I’m pretty much divided on the issue. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2392 "2026-07-21T02:29:00Z")
Good catch. We’ll need a third thread for whatever Czarcasm is doing. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2393 "2026-07-21T02:30:39Z")
If you’d like to have a discussion about whether people who talk about the chance that Trump will do those things are helping or hurting the cause of empowering Trump, i suggest you start a new thread. And i suggest you frame your question carefully, and think about exactly what actions/words/thoughts you believe are the problem. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2394 "2026-07-21T02:31:09Z")
I did caveat my statement with “if i believed you”. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2395 "2026-07-21T02:31:23Z")
We can just add that to the long list of words and concepts that seem to totally baffle you all to shit. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2396 "2026-07-21T02:31:58Z")
True that. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2397 "2026-07-21T02:34:00Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > If you’d like to have a discussion about whether people who talk about the chance that Trump will do those things are helping or hurting the cause of empowering Trump, i suggest you start a new thread. And i suggest you frame your question carefully, and think about exactly what actions/words/thoughts you believe are the problem. I did that last August. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2398 "2026-07-21T02:37:57Z")
Clearly trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2399 "2026-07-21T02:44:26Z")
No Little\_Nemo disagrees with you. Calling everyone who disagrees with you a troll is hysterical. [OK now I’m trolling. But only with my last word, and I was joking] ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2400 "2026-07-21T02:52:18Z")
He is obviously allowed to disagree all he likes. In this instance, though he is trolling. Even when it’s nicely suggested that he communicate better to get his point across he doubles down on how he won’t do anything different, while often implying that no one should be offended/annoyed by his laneguage/attitude anyway 'cause _reasons_. To me trollish behavior. I guess not to you. Potato Tomato. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2401 "2026-07-21T03:04:05Z")
Why do you think you’d need to apologize for telling posters that they’re irrational? Is it because that’s not a nice thing to say? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2402 "2026-07-21T03:10:34Z")
… because trolling has become a meaningless term because people (like you) use it to mean “taking up a position strongly contrary to me when I think they are being unreasonable to do so” It’s original meaning (before a form of superlative erosion got to it) was disagreeing for the purpose of upsetting people. [which is not, by the way, the same as refusing to back down to avoid upsetting people, which is what you describe]. Calling people trolls is now pretty much the equivalent of calling someone a poopy head, which is a pity because the former usage was more useful. And when people use troll to mean “poopy head” I form a view about the situation similar to what I would if someone called a person a poopy head. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2403 "2026-07-21T03:12:56Z")
Pretending not to understand very simple arguments for the purpose of continuing to disagree with people (and upsetting them) is trolling. The only question is if he’s pretending. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2404 "2026-07-21T03:48:29Z")
Is this thing on? I don’t care if he disagrees with me. Even if he disagrees on a common offensive word. What I don’t like is his playing stupid with me or others who are trying to explain the problems with his communication style to him. I don’t think he’s stupid. I think he is deliberately pretending to not understand what we’re saying in order to I don’t know Rile people up? Show how he can twist things so he looks clever? I seldom if ever call people trolls. I don’t _think_ I ever have before, though I can’t swear to it. If I meant to call him names I would call him an asshole which I already have, but decidedly not for disagreeing with me. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2405 "2026-07-21T07:33:37Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > I think he is deliberately pretending to not understand what we’re saying in order to I don’t know Rile people up? Yes your microphone is on. Yes I know you think that. People often think that when they can’t persuade people of something. IMHO far more often than it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2406 "2026-07-21T12:37:18Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > … because trolling has become a meaningless term because people (like you) use it to mean “taking up a position strongly contrary to me when I think they are being unreasonable to do so” Misuse of a term, word, or phrase by _some_ speakers/users doesn’t erase the original meaning for everyone else. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2407 "2026-07-21T13:46:31Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > Is this thing on? I don’t care if he disagrees with me. Even if he disagrees on a common offensive word. > > What I don’t like is his playing stupid with me or others who are trying to explain the problems with his communication style to him. I don’t think he’s stupid. I think he is deliberately pretending to not understand what we’re saying in order to I don’t know Rile people up? Show how he can twist things so he looks clever? I feel I do understand what you’ve been saying. I just don’t agree with what you’ve been saying. I will also state I am not seeking to upset people, even though I am aware that some of what I’m saying will upset some people. But my goal is to spread what I feel is an important message not to give offense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=110) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=112)