Democratic Primaries

Foolacious

(497 posts) Mon Mar 9, 2020, 02:47 PM Mar 2020

Trolls and Trollees

If you're a media TROLL, you probably know it. You are intentionally doing what you're doing: stirring things up, riling and alarming folks, obfuscating and distracting. And you have a reason for doing it: a sincerely held point of view whose support justifies the means, or maybe you just need the money.

If you are a TROLLEE, you probably don't know it. You are actually riled and alarmed at information that you believe to be true, and you are passing it along in good faith. (If you don't believe it to be true, then you're a troll, not a trollee; if you're not passing it along, then you're a bystander.)

But here's the thing: In today's sociopolitical climate, it's possible to be a TROLL and NOT know it. You simply have to be a credible source, journalist, pundit -- somebody who argues sincerely and persuasively in media -- who does not weigh the consequences of your words. There have been many times in historic struggles when reasonable people disagreed... and did this so divisively that their fundamental commonality was drowned out, and their common enemy was victorious.

So every time you see a story establishing that Joe Biden / Bernie Sanders / Elizabeth Warren / etc. will be an absolute disaster / savior / etc. as candidate / president, please remember that, sincere and credible though the author may be, they are not weighing the divisive consequences of their words; they are earning a paycheck, and inadvertently serving the needs of our common enemies: namely, the current occupant of the White House, and the president of Russia.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

9 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Trolls and Trollees (Original Post) Foolacious Mar 2020 OP

... rzemanfl Mar 2020 #1

? Foolacious Mar 2020 #5

! rzemanfl Mar 2020 #6

+100000000 Celerity Mar 2020 #8

DNFTEC pat_k Mar 2020 #2

this seems to be a round-about way stopdiggin Mar 2020 #3

That is essentially what I'm saying: Foolacious Mar 2020 #4

That's what I thought stopdiggin Mar 2020 #7

I'm not seeing it a lot here on DU either PatSeg Mar 2020 #9

rzemanfl

(29,566 posts)

1. ...

Reply to Foolacious (Original post)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 02:55 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Foolacious

(497 posts)

5. ?

Reply to rzemanfl (Reply #1)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 03:59 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

rzemanfl

(29,566 posts)

6. !

Reply to Foolacious (Reply #5)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 04:04 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

Celerity

(43,474 posts)

8. +100000000

Reply to rzemanfl (Reply #1)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 05:35 PM

Mar 2020

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

pat_k

(9,313 posts)

2. DNFTEC

Reply to Foolacious (Original post)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 03:05 PM

Mar 2020

Way back when on Salon's Table Talk discussion board the shorthand for "don't get sucked in" was DNFTEC ("Do Not Feed the Energy Creatures" )

Don't know if there is anything equivalent here or elsewhere, but it was a great way to ID troll posts (usually by multiple DNFTEC replies) and I think discouraged the number of trolling posts and discouraged others from "feeding" them.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

stopdiggin

(11,337 posts)

3. this seems to be a round-about way

Reply to Foolacious (Original post)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 03:35 PM

Mar 2020

of saying "Don't criticize Democrats" .. with some definition of trolls and trolling thrown in. (at least that's what I got) But then we go on to say that even legitimately held opinion, and criticism .. is potentially trolling .. and should be curtailed? How do we go about this? And should we?

This seems to me to be perhaps well meaning .. but sort of confused. If sincerely held opinion is not to be encouraged .. why a site like DU? (and wouldn't the same hold for other discussion and the media?)

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

Foolacious

(497 posts)

4. That is essentially what I'm saying:

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #3)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 03:56 PM

Mar 2020

that legitimately held opinion can (unfortunately) serve the same ends as trolling in the current sociopolitical climate. I'm suggesting a moratorium on public rhetoric that may end up as a flame-war. In short: please dial it back, for now, in the interest of unity... so that a year from now we can express those opinions without fear of being jailed for them.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

stopdiggin

(11,337 posts)

7. That's what I thought

Reply to Foolacious (Reply #4)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 04:08 PM

Mar 2020

and thus my response in disagreement. I see this (perhaps not so much on DU, which doesn't really count for much .. but certainly in terms of the media and the larger public sphere) .. as neither feasible .. or particularly wise or desirable.

'Pears we'll have to agree to disagree. Same time .. I'll give you points in articulating your view.
-- --

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

PatSeg

(47,560 posts)

9. I'm not seeing it a lot here on DU either

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #7)

Mon Mar 9, 2020, 05:48 PM

Mar 2020

but the past couple weeks, I've seen it on some Facebook groups. A lot of people popping up that I've never seen before attacking Joe. I do believe some are very sincere in their support of their candidate, but in spite of that, their behavior does come across as very trollish. Others clearly appear to be agitators, just trying to hijack threads and cause disarray.

I think DU's rules and jury system have really helped to keep things more civil here.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

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