Some people compain I do it too much.
I always say I am bored with the troll and he should get a life.
I feel that by making a boring comment I am somehow getting back at him.
Or am I just making the board more boring overall?
Any opinions?
Aeyesha,
You are a fabulous troll hunter. Many of your past flames stand unparalleled. However, I do think your efforts do more harm than good. Trolls do what they do for a reason. In real life, these are very sad individuals who find that their existence has no effect on the world around them. This is, undoubtedly, a justified feeling. Trolls troll because they get a reaction in fora such as this. A reaction is all they want. It gives them a small sense of satisfaction that they have, at long last, affected something. Without question, these sad people would receive batter reactions and even the praise and admiration that their lives are lacking if they were to contribute to the boards in a sensible fashion. When we react to their trolling in any way, we are rewarding them for inappropriate behavior. If we would only react to their good intentions, their efforts will change course. Here at the SDMB, we have evidence of such changes brought on by member support of constructive efforts made by poster who previously limited themselves to trolling.
Do not feed the trolls, but always realize that there is a real person out there somewhere who is confused and does not realize that he is worth more than his trolling posts.
And the Ayesha Impostor infiltrates IMHO. E-mail being sent to slythe as you read this.
DNFTF