"Different kinds of anti-skeptical trolls There are many different kinds of trolls out there, so consider this to be a description of some of the more common anti-skeptical troll archetypes that many skeptical activists online deal with on a regular basis. This list is by no means exhaustive and only covers the kinds of anti-skeptical trolls that are most familiar to me. The crank troll: someone who has an uncontrollable compulsion to spread their assertions that some aspect of mainstream science (evolution, quantum mechanics, general relativity, modern medicine etc.) are fatally flawed and let others know that they have the solution. This kind of troll typically misunderstands the scientific background to the area and so cannot comprehend skeptical refutations. The link spammer troll: this kind of troll posts posts or comments containing almost nothing besides a long list links to videos or articles attempting to demonstrate their favorite pseudoscience. A classical example of a link spammer troll is certain 9/11 truthers who think that if they can just post enough links to Youtube videos containing grainy pictures and slow-motion clips, then they will finally be seen as suppressed truth-seekers rather than obsessed and irrational. The martyr troll: these individuals usually come across as very passive-aggressive as they are often incredibly arrogant and condescending in their treatment of science, skepticism and their critics. However, when someone takes the time and effort to point out the flaws in those assertions, this troll acts like he or she is the victim of a targeted campaign and tries to appear as an innocent victim of cold-hearted skeptics. The attrition warfare troll:: this is the kind of troll that never ever gives up. It does not matter how many thoughtful replies and rebuttals you provide, the attrition warfare troll will counter by repeating the same old canards over and over again in order to tire you out. This troll will never change its mind and will never entertain counterarguments. The hate troll: trolls of this sort take every opportunity to insult, demean, threaten, blackmail and hurt other people online. This is accomplished by posting hateful and discriminatory comments or gathering and spreading sensitive information about people. The goal of many trolls is to disrupt productive conversations and cause people emotional harm. Presumably, both of these outcomes gives the troll a lot of psychological satisfaction. So it is very important to pause and take a moment to think things through before responding to a troll: is it worth it? If responding to a troll has no benefit for you (and perhaps will only prolong both the disruption and your irritation), yet gives the troll the satisfaction of having pushed your buttons (and perhaps spurs him or her to continue trolling), it is worth asking yourself if really is such a good idea to make a public response or if it is a better idea to avoid feeding the troll."
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:05:00 +0000
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