# Question about, er, trolls, I guess.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [December 2, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364 "2008-12-02T17:23:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364/1 "2008-12-02T17:23:47Z")

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In this thread:

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10520022#post10520022](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10520022#post10520022)

Everybody pretty much assumes that the OP is in jest (a polite way of saying you-know-what) and the answers are all over the place (not that it is GQ, but still). Then Rico modded “Sleeps With Butterflies” for mentioning bridges.

Certainly, that was the closest anyone came to calling the OP a troll, but I don’t see how that is much different from suggesting toilet paper, explosives or WD40.

Anyone care to explain?

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**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364/2 "2008-12-02T17:37:40Z")

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Be glad to.

First, it was not an official warning.

Second, it’s a known reaction that when “under the bridge” is mentioned, “troll” is inferred. I was responding to a report from another poster regarding this, so I was responding under the influence, so to say, of a report. I tried to bring it up as gently as possible. If I was wrong, I apologize.

Fair enough?

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364/3 "2008-12-02T18:02:24Z")

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Fair enough. I was just curious, since we were all dancing around the same line.

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**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-er-trolls-i-guess/475364/4 "2008-12-02T21:10:39Z")

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> [@Sapo](#):
>
> In this thread:
> 
> [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10520022#post10520022](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10520022#post10520022)
> 
> Everybody pretty much assumes that the OP is in jest (a polite way of saying you-know-what) and the answers are all over the place (not that it is GQ, but still). Then Rico modded “Sleeps With Butterflies” for mentioning bridges.
> 
> Certainly, that was the closest anyone came to calling the OP a troll, but I don’t see how that is much different from suggesting toilet paper, explosives or WD40.
> 
> Anyone care to explain?

People are allowed to make jokes; calling someone a troll, or even hinting that someone is, is against the rules and usually derails a thread pretty quickly.

Jokes (whether funny or not) are made in all of the forums in most threads, so it’s not entirely reasonable to say everyone was “dancing around the same line”. You can think someone’s OP is especially silly without thinking the poster is a troll–but if you do think someone’s a troll, the best thing to do is report the post and let the mods take a look. Otherwise, if you really want to openly accuse someone, do so in the Pit.