EDF Trolls

[El Pibe]

And another one BITE?s the dust.

Given the recent(ish) news on trolls, the chap who harangued grieving relatives of suicides, the Tom Daley idiot and this bbc piece saying we're too harsh on trolls in this country, I'm just wondering what the attraction is.

I guess I can just about get some pubescent kid thinking they're clever, or an angry child expressing their anger in an oblique and unhealhy fashion in a relatively benign version of going postal.

But why anyone beyond the realms of the confusing changes of pre-adulthood would indulge, I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss.

We seem to have a few categories here.

1. The obvious WUM

obsessions: yummy mummies, three wheeled prams, kids in pubs, poncey pubs, poncey food, cookwank, smugness in general

MO: howling at the moon as their slice of London changes before their eyes without apparently having the common decency to ask their permission.

2. The anti liberal agenda

obsessions: see above, also add any form of toleration of things they don't approve of, usually any or a mixture of gays, women's lib, muslims, anyone who's a bit different

MO: it's PC gone maaaaad! Links to Daily Mail articles peddling half truths and innuendo designed to boil the tempers of octogernarian conservatives.

3. The Conspiracy Theorist

obsessions: sheeple, The united states, hidden agendas, the media, nothing can EVER be what it appears to be

MO: random links, liberal use of non sequiturs, refusal to enter sensible debate, a complete lack of internal consistency

4.The Free Speecher

obsessions: cliques, conflates sensible moderation with oppressive censorship

MO: use of accusastion over debate, accusations of bullying when others views dont coincide with their own, prone to starting deliberately inflammatory threads

5. The Grey area

not a troll as such, just difficult.

BBW is the obvious here, a popular poster who could be insightful, witty and very funny, but would always have to test the limits of patience, and thus removed about 30 times under different guises. THen there was MikeCG, very difficult to tell how much wa personal opinion and how much was a construct, but veered between sincerity and trollish activities. Ultimately too angry and confrontational to be allowed to continue.

Can anyone add any more or remember any fine examples or shed any light on the phenomenon?

Are any of them missed?

I think my all time favourite was the chap from Blackwater, what was his name again?

[Champ]

Boring.

[El Pibe]

Hello BITE? *waves*

[Champ]

Haha, good one. No idea who you are waving to though!

[El Pibe]

Hello again BITE? *waves*

[El Pibe]

For the record a first time poster, posting on a thread about someone who's just being banned, on being accused of being said bannee, saying "I've no idea who you are talking about" is about as schoolboy a trolling error as you can commit.

You need to cultivate a new persona by starting in the items offered section, have a spat over plumbing skills with someone in the business section, before having a couple of innocuous musings about bus timetables in the general issues and make sure there's at least 1 month between your previous ban and starting to troll in the new incarnation.

I give champ about an hour before he's banned.

[red devil]

..either that or get a new ISP address

[El Pibe]

For the record it was the jrussel reminiscence that got me thinking, i guess we could file him under

6. The pointless prankster - Often highly entertaining and mostly harmless

obsessions: anything and everything

MO: obscure and oblique complaints designed as much to bemuse and confuse as to provoke.

[Champ]

Sorry to disappoint but I'm not this BITE chap you seem to think I am. I was merely expressing an honest opinion that I thought your little piece about internet trolls was insipid dross and I was annoyed I spent time reading it! Now I regret doing this as it seems to have inspired you to continue your pointless little descriptions.

[nashoi]

Rick Channing aka Blackwater guy and possibly aka Jelly

[El Pibe]

Ha ha Nashoi thaks, that was the chap, inspired entertainment.

Fine Champ, you registered today just happened to go to the lounge and read that (a place many quite long term regular users of the community forum are barely even aware of) and felt the need to express your ennui, four minutes after registering.

Yeah that's pretty typical behaviour.

[Champ]

Thanks for taking such an interest in me, should I feel privileged or is researching forum users something you do to get your kicks? Anyway, I'm none of the users mentioned above, you'll just have to accept that I'm a mysterious new stranger who you don't seem to be a big fan of!

[Chick]

Eg:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?9,938116,page=1

[El Pibe]

Ha! Brilliant, and fine work by the lovely Badger. Thanks for highlighting that :)

[VNSTF Lurker]

Urgh. Don't inflate this pathetic racist's ego any further. I've ssen BBW banned from countless forums. And on each one he was progressively more offensive than the last. Sure, he appeals to the right-wing, and anyone else who enjoys his disgusting brand of humour. But, on the bright side, he sticks out a mile, which means that he's swiftly disposed of.

Here's some of his previous "insight" from the STF:

He claimed to have overheard some gypsies in Crystal Palace arranging to swap a baby they'd adopted for a thoroughbred greyhound.

People from Catford should be subjected to germ warfare.

Jews are professional victims, hereditary schemers and all keep money under their hats.

People on the dole should be subjected to a monthly audit to make sure they're not spending their benefits on beer and tattoos.

The Big Issue has a recruiting office in Romania.

Aryans aren't a master race because Germany's never fielded a decent rugby team. (WTF?)

Etc, Etc.

Rick Channing? The 'American' who showed up on STF? Surely that couldn't have been, umm... BBW?

[El Pibe]

Hello yet again BITE? *waves again*

If you are BBW then I'm very dissappointed, wholly vanilla trolling lacking your usual humour and, dare i say, bite.

Those examples above are mostly pretty funny though.

[MrBen]

The German thing is quite funny though and lots of quips like that would make it highly readable to some.... before he spoiled it some anti-semitic rant. Borderline trolls are the hardest to deal with.

My take is it is the bored, unloved and alienated with perhaps a touch of borderline personality disorder who make up the worst at the extreme end with the usual immature mischief makers on the other. It has to be an extension of their real persona in some form...which is perhaps worrying but also real life.

[VNSTF Lurker]

You think anti-semitism's funny? I'm not BBW. But for your information, the troll source you're looking for can be found on Urban75. They're having a good laugh at your expsense as we speak. Does Not Bono Ever, aka 'Snorky' sound familiar?

[MrBen]

El Pibe missed another type - the one that takes your words and inverts them to present a highly controversial anti-jewish construct as trap bait. Nothing riles a liberal more than accusations of racism.

Troll heaven.

[El Pibe]

Noted MrBen, noted!

[Champ]

Clearly, there are lots of ultra sensitive people around, and also rather odd people who insist on waving to people that aren't present. Yes it's sad and a bit weird but if it makes them happy to have their say then let them be I say!

[edcam]

You seem to have made a fairly comprehensive assessment for someone who only signed up today!

[MrBen]

Champ - fancy a game of squash?

[TillieTrotter]

Hee hee Mr Ben.

[Champ]

I'd rather not meet up with strange people lurking on the internet, thanks though.