# Is trolling against the rules in the pit? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 23, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532 "2017-02-23T06:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/21 "2017-02-23T16:48:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Really? In all the history of the internet, no one has given trolls free rein to do what they want without opposition? That’s not what “don’t feed the trolls” mean. There is opposition. The opposition is to not engage them and let their threads fall to the bottom quickly. However, to **Bone’s** comment, people find it very difficult to not respond to a troll. So as much as DFTT is a wonderful ideal, it’s very very hard for anyone to actually do. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/22 "2017-02-23T16:56:51Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > However, to **Bone’s** comment, people find it very difficult to not respond to a troll. So as much as DFTT is a wonderful ideal, it’s very very hard for anyone to actually do. It doesn’t help the cause that they are not labeled as such (except for maybe the BBQ Pit), and even there the label may or may not be accurate. The supposed troll’s threads cannot sink to the bottom unless _everyone_ somehow agrees, without talking about it online, that said person is indeed a troll. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/23 "2017-02-23T17:02:18Z")
A type of “troll” that is very difficult to apply the “ignore it and it will sink to the bottom” rule to is the political troll, because enough people of the same political persuasion will not see such a person as a problem to get rid of, and will post support, to keep such treads alive. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/24 "2017-02-23T17:04:13Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > In all the history of the internet, it has yet to be tried. And that is the problem. Someone always engages, convinced they can make the misguided poster (troll) see the error of his (or on rare occasions, her) ways. It’s like watering a weed and making sure it gets sunlight, yet hoping that one day it will stop being a weed. Even pointing and laughing gives them what they want, and while I don’t do it often, I know I’ve been guilty of doing that (sometimes the desire to call someone a dumbshit is too strong and the _Submit Reply_ button too easy to hit). Don’t worry that outsiders might see uncontested absurdities, because what outsiders should notice is that trolls are routinely left to play only in their own filth with the other trolls. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/25 "2017-02-23T17:06:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If no one feeds it, it will go away. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I hear this alot…but is it true? I assume that this board’s software cannot handle it, but I’ve alway thought a “I’m feeding the trolls” flag would be useful. Then you have the ability to ignore any post that contains that flag. That way, if someone wishes to engage the suspected troll, in the chance that they are sincere, or that they may come around, or just for shits and giggles, they can do so, without annoying everyone else in the thread that already has the troll on ignore and do not wish to see the troll’s stupidity quoted. (and sure, I’ll take a pony with that please.) ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/26 "2017-02-23T17:09:09Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I assume that this board’s software cannot handle it, but I’ve alway thought a “I’m feeding the trolls” flag would be useful. Then you have the ability to ignore any post that contains that flag. That way, if someone wishes to engage the suspected troll, in the chance that they are sincere, or that they may come around, or just for shits and giggles, they can do so, without annoying everyone else in the thread that already has the troll on ignore and do not wish to see the troll’s stupidity quoted. > (and sure, I’ll take a pony with that please.) We have a rule here that you cannot call someone a “troll” outside the BBQ Pit. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/27 "2017-02-23T17:09:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It doesn’t help the cause that they are not labeled as such (except for maybe the BBQ Pit), and even there the label may or may not be accurate. The supposed troll’s threads cannot sink to the bottom unless _everyone_ somehow agrees, without talking about it online, that said person is indeed a troll. FWIW, I don’t defend the DNTT strategy because I don’t think it works. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/28 "2017-02-23T17:19:28Z")
I think it takes a measure of restraint to resist the easy targets of our ire and it is a bit of a tragedy of the commons problem. I think there are different issues to address. The first is how the board should treat these things. The second is how posters should treat these things. The approach need not be the same. For posters the recommendation is as it always has been - to not feed trolls. Report if you suspect, but beyond that there really is no better course of action. I don’t think that’s what this thread is about though. It’s about what the board should do and how it should treat suspected trolls. So given the definition in the rules for both the board and in the Pit specifically, and \*\*Miller’s \*\*statements on how this rule is applied, what part would folks suggest changing? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/29 "2017-02-23T17:42:02Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > The pit is slowly turning into 8chan or /pol/ because the moderators are adhering to rules that made sense in 1999 but are obsolete now. The best thing, sadly, is to distance yourself from a once interesting board as it turns into yet another alt-right forum. The upside is that it Puts to the lie the claim that this is a liberal board. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/30 "2017-02-23T17:42:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > We have a rule here that you cannot call someone a “troll” outside the BBQ Pit. Fine, just a basic “off-topic” flag. Also be useful for some of the side conversations that don’t quite justify their own thread, but don’t really belong in the host thread either. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/31 "2017-02-23T17:45:43Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Fine, just a basic “off-topic” flag. Also be useful for some of the side conversations that don’t quite justify their own thread, but don’t really belong in the host thread either. And who would be applying this flag? Unless the mods themselves were doing it, such an action could be called “junior modding”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/32 "2017-02-23T17:47:32Z")
For the record, I really do know the acronym is DN **F** TT. Just wanted to put that out there. Oy. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/33 "2017-02-23T17:57:11Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > That’s not what “don’t feed the trolls” mean. There is opposition. The opposition is to not engage them and let their threads fall to the bottom quickly. > > However, to **Bone’s** comment, people find it very difficult to not respond to a troll. So as much as DFTT is a wonderful ideal, it’s very very hard for anyone to actually do. Au contraire, there are lots of people who don’t respond, who see the post or thread for what it is and scroll past. It’s just not everyone who can do that, apparently. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > A type of “troll” that is very difficult to apply the “ignore it and it will sink to the bottom” rule to is the political troll, because enough people of the same political persuasion will not see such a person as a problem to get rid of, and will post support, to keep such treads alive. I can’t recall such a thread where there was only one side represented that agreed with the troll (which would almost make it by definition not a troll, but for the sake of argument…) but even if there were such a thread it would be easy to ignore it. I no longer try to persuade anyone, either poster or reader, for any instance where the post is obviously, to me, intending only to agitate. I wish more would follow suit. And for my second wish, I don’t want a pony I want a free gardener. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/34 "2017-02-23T17:58:44Z")
In a sense it’s a pointless argument, unless you really believe that someone whose sole intention is to troll everybody here will be deterred by banning. You just end up in exactly the same dispute with their next incarnation, or with their other socks that haven’t been banned yet. You can enjoy the _illusion_ that they’re gone, I suppose, but there’s effectively no way to vote some of these pathetic fucks off the island. Trolling anonymous strangers is probably the closest thing to happiness they have in life, and it won’t get any better than that. Think about that whenever you need a boost. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/35 "2017-02-23T17:59:09Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > For the record, I really do know the acronym is DN **F** TT. > > Just wanted to put that out there. > > Oy. You left a letter out. DNFT **F** T. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/36 "2017-02-23T18:09:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And who would be applying this flag? Unless the mods themselves were doing it, such an action could be called “junior modding”. The poster themselves when replying to a suspected troll, or when participating in a minor hijack. It wold be optional and voluntary, but I would be willing to flag myself as I engage certain posters, to avoid, if nothing else, the complaints about DNFTT. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/37 "2017-02-23T18:10:12Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > That’s not what “don’t feed the trolls” mean. There is opposition. The opposition is to not engage them and let their threads fall to the bottom quickly. > > However, to **Bone’s** comment, people find it very difficult to not respond to a troll. So as much as DFTT is a wonderful ideal, it’s very very hard for anyone to actually do. It’s easy for anyone to do. It’s difficult to get everyone to agree to do it. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/38 "2017-02-23T18:14:05Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Au contraire, there are lots of people who don’t respond, who see the post or thread for what it is and scroll past. It’s just not everyone who can do that, apparently. > > I can’t recall such a thread where there was only one side represented that agreed with the troll (which would almost make it by definition not a troll, but for the sake of argument…) but even if there were such a thread it would be easy to ignore it. > > I no longer try to persuade anyone, either poster or reader, for any instance where the post is obviously, to me, intending only to agitate. I wish more would follow suit. And for my second wish, I don’t want a pony I want a free gardener. DNFTT only works if 1. _Everyone_ agrees that the person is a troll, 2. _Everyone_ agrees not to participate, even 3. _Everyone_ who might agree with some part of what this person is saying. Troll threads will not sink into oblivion unless all three of these things happen…and even if they do, thinking that this will make said troll go away is nothing but blind faith. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/39 "2017-02-23T18:16:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A type of “troll” that is very difficult to apply the “ignore it and it will sink to the bottom” rule to is the political troll, because enough people of the same political persuasion will not see such a person as a problem to get rid of, and will post support, to keep such treads alive. On the SDMB, it’s not the supporters. It’s everyone who has to point out they’re wrong, wrong, wrong. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532/40 "2017-02-23T18:17:20Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > You left a letter out. > > DNFT **F** T. > > 😉 I know! Multiple times! (see post #32) Triple oy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trolling-against-the-rules-in-the-pit/780532.md?page=3)