MysterionMuffles Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 I think it's pretty obvious, but really easy to forget that the best way to deal with a troll is to NOT deal with them. Don't give them attention. Don't let them get a rise out of you. I'm curious if my Keyboard Warrior Theory has anything to do with my own susceptibility to sometimes think it's productive to talk back at someone who is clearly poisoning the well. However I am curious: is there a distinct difference between someone who's just ill informed and someone who intentionally just wants to disturb the peace? Obvious signs are making personal attacks and insults, as well as avoiding answering any questions directly. I'm pretty sure there are more traits that I would like for you to help me out with this list to better shield myself. Yesterday, I fell victim to a troll in the FDR chatroom. I take full ownership for having provoked him. His name was Jordon and he was only here for less than a week, but I'm pretty sure some of you already know that he was just full of female and sexist hatred and a ton of rude comments--for the most part. It turns out he is also Noah and Damon, each account being banned for simply douching up the chatroom. As Noah he related every possible topic to being a manipulation on sexuality, as Damon he promoted the use of violence against women, and as Jordon this week, played the role of a supposed Alpha male telling all us males in the chatroom, that we're all desperate losers who need to get laid simply because we were talking about dating in generalities. Lians suggested that I stop engaging and take a look at why he triggered me so much, and without sharing the full details here, I did introspect and found out which of his snarky comments really did bother me enough to start talking shit to Jordon. It pretty much lead to him finding my Youtube channel on my profile and then finding out my real name and then attemped to spook me out by pulling up pictures of my goddamn TWO YEAR OLD NIECE and posting them in the chat. Then he would follow by making rude, disgusting sexual comments about her I can't even bring myself to repeat here. Just totally vile. He even started posting my family members profiles in the chatroom and threatening to ruin my brother's company. In the moment of it all happening, I was spooked out. I thought he hacked me and was somehow able to fetch restricted content from my Facebook page. But as it turns out, Facebook just doesn't automatically restrict a few things on mobile uploads, and I had set my friends list to be viewable to the public. After taking the common suggestion from Lians and a lot of other people within the chatroom, I stopped responding in fear of Jordon pulling up my Facebook info and changed the subject to talk to others. Eventually he stopped posting my pictures and family's profiles and just left. It's kinda weird that a lot of people did report him which got his account banned, but he was still able to participate in the chat. I guess that's a small loophole to the programming that they wouldn't somehow immediately be kicked out unless a mod came into the room. Anyways, I took the time to relax about it and realized that this troll Jordon was pretty much harmless. So he found my Facebook page? He said he downloaded all my info and threatened to send hate about me to my family, but I believe that would require him using his Facebook account to pretty much out his identity (whether real or contrived). Furthermore, before doing the Facebook threats he threatened to send a SWAT team to my house so that was clear indication that his grandiose threats held no merit. Plus if he WAS a real threat, he would've been able to pull up stuff from Facebook that was actually set to resrtricted, or worse, actually hack my computer directly. All in all, Jordon, Damon, Noah and whatever future usernames he plans to use to somehow keep coming back to waste his time here--is clearly a sad sad man with very little value. To think someone, FOR MONTHS, can keep threatening to return under new usernames to shake shit up and actually do it is quite pitiful. And to some degree even more pitiful is my susceptibility to engage with his crap. WELL I've learned my lesson. There's an ignore function for a reason and I apologize profusely for not using it when it comes to destructive people in the chatroom. I promise to work better at spotting trolls earlier on and choose not to stoke the fires with the rudeness they expect. I figured that people like him are so used to such scrutiny and maltreatment that they basically invite attack because it's the only way they can feel alive. A whole chatroom was against him and arguing with him and thats the only time he actually responded consistently. Otherwise, any time he'd chime in with a rude comment about how simple minded women are or anything else that was sexist, people would just continue the conversation like he wasn't there and it would take him a while to try to find another way to disript the conversation. Two and a half simple words to help avoid the kind of mental torture I subjugated myself to: DON'T ENGAGE!!!
Smash Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 Great post, thanks for sharing. I know I learned a lesson as well so I thank you for that. Asheli
VicLo Posted June 2, 2014 Posted June 2, 2014 This guy sounds dangerous. Someone who is obsessive and willing to escalate. Yes don't engage is good advice. But we need more. I would say take whatever measures are available to handle him. For on your youtube channel ban him and report etc. Good post. Self defense against trolls is a subject I think we should examine more closely.
AustinJames Posted June 2, 2014 Posted June 2, 2014 I have recently come to the same conclusion, but your post was a very helpful reaffirmation of this principle. Just a resounding "Yes!"
MysterionMuffles Posted June 3, 2014 Author Posted June 3, 2014 thanks for the support dudes! Now that this is dealt with, anybody want to compile a list of "you know you're being trolled when..." ???
RyanT Posted June 3, 2014 Posted June 3, 2014 Sorry to hear about that, I saw him in all his glory the night before,Sad, sad little boy....I did respond but with off the cuff stuff like,'If women are so bad, go gay problem solved'Did get quite frustrated though when people continued to make reasoned replies to everything he posted, Was my night off work, not been in the chat for a while and he managed to basically hijack the conversation for a good hour with his bullshit... Trolls are certainly a funny lot though.Way I see it they are actually scared stiff of being criticized and rejected,so try and take power in the situation by creating an obnoxious persona,which means they can feel like annoying people was their plan all along.In turn protecting their vulnerable, under developed true self.
MysterionMuffles Posted June 4, 2014 Author Posted June 4, 2014 hmm that does sound plausible too. Faking the fact that it hurts them by piling on more egotistical defenses. I sure as hell felt it within myself. I wanted to act like his judgements didn't hurt me, but obviously they did if I was willing to make blatant sexual jokes about his mother.
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