Need internet lingo for this kind of poster

Factual Questions
1

Is there a term for someone who posts a position on a topic, and then backs away from it with a “not really a big deal” attitude?

Example:

Back in the day when I had a Facebook account, I had a IRL friend who would occasionally post anti-Obama screed on his page. It was almost always bullshit, because, you know, researching before you post is so hard. Anyway, he would light the fire and then sit back and watch the partisan bickering. If it was too over-the-top, I would challenge him on the facts. Basically call him on the BS. He would immediately back away with the attitude of “hey, not saying I believe it, but a lot of people are saying it, so I thought I’d post it for discussion.”

I’ve seen it happen sometimes on our own board here too, but not as often. Here it often takes the form of a provocative OP, but the OPer never comes back to meet challenges or answer questions.

Troll doesn’t really do it for me, this seems like a specific instigator behavior, probably a subset of troll.

BTW, i will not come back to this thread to reply. :D:D

2

Shit-stirrer?

3

Baiting?

4

What you’re describing is pretty much the textbook definition of a troll.

5

Sounds like this Just asking questions - RationalWiki

6

I’d say whether it counts as a troll or not depends on whether or not he actually believed it when he first posted.

If he first posted in good faith, then changed his mind before downplaying it-- he’s not a troll.

If he first posted it knowing it was crap and purely to get responses, and he downplayed it to excuse his behavior, then he’s definitely a troll.

In my opinion.

7

Textbook example of a JAQ-off - people who post offensive bullshit but don’t have the balls to own up to their beliefs (and get whiny when called on their crap - “gee, I was Just Asking Questions.”).

Posts may be prefaced with “What do you guys think of X” or “I read somewhere that (fill in the garbage)”.

8

Ahh, this is the one I was looking for. That perfectly describes the behavior I was looking for.

Thanks!!

9

Link to rationalwiki description of JAQing is in post #5

10

Perfect. Thanks for the link, I missed it when I read this thread on my phone. That is so spot on with the behavior I was trying to name. I’m 99 percent sure he really believed his BS when he posted it, but didn’t have the balls to stick to it when challenged.