# Trolls R Us redux \[Now the argument clinic\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 27, 2020, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349 "2020-06-27T06:30:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 183
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3650 "2021-06-09T16:33:01Z")
Good point, and that’s one of the reasons why I saw it as being a confrontational thread rather than your standard request for advice. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3651 "2021-06-09T16:42:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > For absolutely no reason at all, play coy and refuse to state why people can’t sit on the furniture. Yeah, this got a bit bogged down. To be clear, it’s not like anyone doesn’t get why a company in principle might not want people sitting on display furniture. But it’s a bit odd for _outdoor_ furniture, which is designed to be weatherproof. The issue is that he was being so obtuse about the _full circumstances_ of what was going on. Most people certainly don’t have much sense of what’s normal at a trade show like this. If this were a good faith request for advice/opinions, we obviously need to understand whether it was in accord with common sense expectations for someone wandering through that furniture in a pergola would not be for sitting; how clearly it was signed; just how _important_ it really was that nobody sit - was this expensive upholstered furniture, and if so why was indoor furniture being displayed in a pergola? I think it’s a red flag for any thread ostensibly soliciting advice where OP is obtuse about giving details. (Unless, of course, there’s some obvious reason to protect an identity or something.) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3652 "2021-06-09T17:03:28Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > (Unless, of course, there’s some obvious reason to protect an identity or something.) Yeah, if he said he didn’t want to say what brand of furniture it was, or any other details about the furniture or his business or where his business was located I’d get that. Those are legitimate things to leave out to prevent the business from being identified and inadvertently give it some bad attention. But the detail of why the furniture can’t be sat on is a pretty important detail and shouldn’t be sensitive information. The only reason to withhold it is to confuse and/or irritate people (as a troll is trying to do). Hell, he even made a point to say up-front in the OP that he wasn’t going to tell people the reason. That’s some proactive trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3653 "2021-06-09T17:14:39Z")
At this point, though, I’d rather see the thread open and in the Pit for unfettered entertainment value. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3654 "2021-06-09T17:15:38Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > But the detail of why the furniture can’t be sat on is a pretty important detail and shouldn’t be sensitive information. The only reason to withhold it is to confuse and/or irritate people (as a troll is trying to do). This was the most obviously trolling bit in the OP to me. Withhold obviously relevant information, say you’re doing that up front, then use people’s requests for that info to create confrontation and accusations of hijacking your thread. Adding the subject matter and wording of the OP, obvious troll is obvious. And sock. For anyone trying to determine the identity of the sock, I’ve noticed a few instances of using “lead” where “led” is intended. Not a rare mistake, but might help ID a pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3655 "2021-06-09T17:17:18Z")
Also didn’t he at one point say “this is hypothetical.”? It’s just not adding up. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3656 "2021-06-09T17:19:33Z")
I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I thought this was a bit of a giveaway about the objective of the thread, when I was probably skirting a bit close to the edge in taking the piss: > [@Virtue signaling? Cowardice? Or other (race relations topic)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virtue-signaling-cowardice-or-other-race-relations-topic/943821/73): > > If there’s an accusation to be made, then make it. (I had in fact just reported him for trolling.) ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3657 "2021-06-09T17:20:01Z")
He made up a hypothetical about why people couldn’t sit there, but then wouldn’t engage with his own hypothetical. ---
**Author:** ![PackerMan2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/packerman2/32/2894_2.png) [@PackerMan2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PackerMan2)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3658 "2021-06-09T17:21:22Z")
> [@Entirely Benign, Appropriate Things That Make You Seethe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entirely-benign-appropriate-things-that-make-you-seethe/943102/142): > > At the beach that I frequent, unattractive people greatly outnumber attractive people of my preferred gender. Once in a while, however, I’ll have a good vantage point where I can view one or more of the attractive people. Fairly often, ugly overweight people will plop themselves down on the sand right in between me and the people of interest, completely ruining my view. Another problem I have with the beach is how many obnoxious little kids there are, but I won’t get any further into that rig… How was this turd dropped without comment? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3659 "2021-06-09T17:26:32Z")
Ugh. . ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3660 "2021-06-09T17:58:36Z")
> [@PackerMan2](#): > > How was this turd dropped without comment? Because it’s not trolling? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3661 "2021-06-09T18:01:34Z")
> [@PackerMan2](#): > > How was this turd dropped without comment? There was a comment shortly afterward, agreeing with the complaint about kids. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3662 "2021-06-09T18:46:01Z")
What a couple of weirdos! ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3663 "2021-06-09T18:50:00Z")
@puzzlegal, you’re a party pooper for closing that mess of a thread instead of sending it to the Pit! ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3664 "2021-06-09T19:02:17Z")
And not only that, the whole point of the thread is that the one in the wrong is the poster… I might find that poster’s view distasteful (and I do), but many would find my position in that thread distasteful as well (the sound of kids having fun is grating). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3665 "2021-06-09T19:04:46Z")
Not too sure what’s been going on here the past couple of days, but if mom isn’t married she can fuck anyone she wants. Are we still accusing people of having _mothers_ with sex lives? What are we, 12? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3666 "2021-06-09T19:14:09Z")
I have clearly missed something… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3667 "2021-06-09T19:25:42Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Jeez, the guy doesn’t like acronyms, it’s not like he fucked your mom or kicked your dog. Be the better person you think you are. ¯\_(ツ)\_/¯ ---
**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:** [June 9, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3668 "2021-06-09T19:26:22Z")
He meant kicked your mom or fucked your dog. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349/3669 "2021-06-09T19:32:10Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > kicked your mom Now, now, what consenting adults do in privacy is their own business. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349.md?page=182) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-r-us-redux-now-the-argument-clinic/913349.md?page=184)