# 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:** 114
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2448 "2026-07-22T11:30:18Z")
The principle you state, while correct, does not address the problem I raise for reasons already given. And your attempt to address that problem is entirely reliant on special pleading from which you have now resiled. ---
**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 22, 2026, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2449 "2026-07-22T11:34:01Z")
Or maybe others just aren’t struggling with the use of the term ‘trolling’ in the context of this thread the way you are. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2450 "2026-07-22T11:38:19Z")
People here aren’t “struggling” with it because people don’t care whether the stronger or weaker meaning is intended (and indeed are quite possibly deliberately prevaricating between them) . Not because they are actually certain which meaning applies. And if you don’t think I’ve noticed that you have gone from lecturing me about some alleged “clearly-espoused principle” to a pissweak retreat to the specific context of one word in one thread, you are mistaken. ---
**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 22, 2026, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2451 "2026-07-22T11:39:15Z")
Which – and I believe I’m sensing a pattern here – is a gross mischaracterization of what I’m actually doing. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2452 "2026-07-22T11:40:18Z")
Sure. You’ve got nuthin’ and you have spun in so many circles at this point you are embarrassed to try further. Or I grossly mischaracterized your twists and turns. One or the other. ---
**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 22, 2026, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2453 "2026-07-22T11:59:04Z")
Which leaves me in an extremely comfortable position, where it’s all in print for all to see, and all can reach their own conclusions. Which – like parsing the meaning of the word “troll” in context – I’m entirely confident they can do with aplomb. ---
**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 22, 2026, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2454 "2026-07-22T12:41:22Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Or maybe others just aren’t struggling with the use of the term ‘trolling’ in the context of this thread the way you are. I didn’t care very much about “trolling” with respect to this thread, because it’s in the pit. But in general, it’s something i care about a lot. And i think there’s a lot of space between: 1. making shit up/exaggerating for the purpose of upsetting others (telling your friends that they will catch cyclosporiasis from the pb&j sandwich they are about to eat because you are bored.) 2. bringing up stuff that’s not necessary and that you know will upset others (e. g. loudly proclaiming that you don’t believe God exists at the funeral of the daughter of your very religious friends) 3. arguing a point that you think matters to a group that disagrees and finds your argument annoying. (too many obvious examples to pick just one.) It’s often not obvious from context which is which. Maybe the guy in (1) really is that dumb and believes it. ---
**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 22, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2455 "2026-07-22T13:37:40Z")
While it isn’t a particularly interesting generic topic to me, the classic textbook definition of an Internet troll comes down to motivation (ie, what’s in the other person’s head). That can be extraordinarily difficult to ascertain, and – as a mod here – you know that at least as well as anybody. But difficulty in ascertaining \<\> lack of understanding of the term at hand. Often, you have to put a lot of weight on any meaningful and relevant clues the person offers that might hint at motivation, to wit: > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, I’m really good at it. But I’m just having fun here. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2456 "2026-07-22T17:34:17Z")
Re-reading the OP, it seems that it is further wrong in a fundamental way that as far as I can tell (i admit I haven’t read every one of the 2268 posts) has been entirely sidestepped in this thread. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Trump can legitimately deny he’s committing genocide as he illegally arrests people. Trump can legitimately deny he is restoring slavery as he guts civil rights. Trump can legitimately deny he is planning on launching nuclear weapons as he ruins America’s standing in the word. Making these wild and untrue accusations against Trump gives him cover for the things he’s actually doing. Trump could deny these things, but for the most part he isn’t he spends hardly any time reassuring voters that he won’t do crazy things (e.g. nuke Iran, or initiate martial law) because that would go against his persona about being a strongman who takes action other people won’t. And secondly because Democrats exaggerating the danger that Trump poses isn’t very high on the list of things that turn “normies” away from the Democrats. And thirdly because its counter productive. Trump denying that he will use nukes just re-enforces in peoples minds that that Trump will use nukes. Instead Trump nutpicks and strawmanizes far left proposals like[five million dollar reparations to every black person](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/san-francisco-proposes-reparations-includes-5-million-for-eligible-black-people) and children being turned transgender against their will. These are the things that are turning the uninformed voter against the Democrats not exaggerations about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2457 "2026-07-22T19:24:55Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Right, as evidenced by all the people who’ve been reading this thread […] but didn’t bother to post anything about it. 10/10 difficult read. Learned the history of the word, hysteria however. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2458 "2026-07-22T19:37:48Z")
> [@Meatwater](#): > > Learned the history of the word, hysteria however. I learned the word “resiled”! ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2459 "2026-07-22T19:43:43Z")
Shoulda chose my words better. I do believe this thread poisoned and the OP trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2460 "2026-07-22T19:54:37Z")
I’m not disagreeing. This thread was hot garbage from the jump, and in any other forum than the Pit, the OP would have drawn a warning for trolling. But I did legitimately learn a new word, so it wasn’t a total waste. ---
**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 22, 2026, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2461 "2026-07-22T21:57:12Z")
Look. I didn’t know the word either, but my vague recollection was that the person who used it was either or both of: - Australian - An attorney (maybe maritime law) So I just assumed it was a foreign word that I would neither use nor see _ever again_ in my entire life. But … y’know … I’m glad you got something out of it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2462 "2026-07-23T00:43:39Z")
This is the one and only time I will post in this thread. We are coming up on the one year anniversary of the OP and in well over 2,000 posts, (of which I haven’t read every single one, but I’ve skimmed the entire thread over the course of that time period) I think the entire thread has revolved around one argument going around in circles time and time again. The OP hasn’t convinced me of anything except he is exceptionally adept at spaghetti logic and is superhumanly stubborn. Troll? I don’t know, Nemo doesn’t generally post like this in other forums and threads unless I’m missing something very obvious. This behavior is confined to this thread which makes it all the more bizarre. Sealioning definitely fits though. Clusterfuckiest of clusterfucks and a prime example of pointless SDMB drama. Bad logic, obfuscation, pointless stubbornness, deliberate strawmanning and the complete inability to accept other people can have different points of view without being wrong. And that other people exist on the other side of the computer screen and deserve human consideration. Oh and pedantry used as a rhetorical club. I give the thread a 10 out of 10. Would not recommend. ---
**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 23, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2463 "2026-07-23T01:01:43Z")
This one post tells us more than all the other sea lioning trollshit you have posted here. ---
**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 23, 2026, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2464 "2026-07-23T12:01:12Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Often, you have to put a lot of weight on any meaningful and relevant clues the person offers that might hint at motivation, to wit: > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > No, I’m really good at it. But I’m just having fun here. No, I’m not having fun because I’m trolling. I’m having fun because I’m winning the argument. ---
**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 23, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2465 "2026-07-23T12:05:46Z")
Huh. I, also, read that as an admission of trolling. I still do; i think you just realized it wasn’t a great idea to admit it. ---
**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 23, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2466 "2026-07-23T12:13:21Z")
“You used a word I don’t like? That’s attacking me!” “You remain polite and respectful? That’s sealioning!” “You say you’re not trolling? That’s trolling!” I’ve realized this thread has a lot of people who are just going to invent reasons to be offended by what I say because they don’t want to think about what I’m saying. ---
**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 23, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735/2467 "2026-07-23T13:06:49Z")
You’ve “realized” a good many things. It’s just that few to none of them appear to be grounded in reality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=113) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-over-the-top-anti-trump-hysteria/1021735.md?page=115)