In Defense Of Trolls

Jesse Luthi wrote this before the trolls arrival.

In defense of trolls: A response to “Anonymity Breeds Contempt”

I have been using the internet for the greater part of my life. This is not terribly shocking. I understand. I would consider my generation (late millennials) to really start having phones on hand. Of course everything begins with a seed or a vision somewhere. Absolutely, the technical industrial revolution (#3) began in the mid 20th century. Announcing the death of ugly television, when the stars bigger than J.F.K and Monroe: cyanea, magenta, and yellow found their way onto the silver screen. However, it was sometime later that we could touch screens and create alternate virtual realities, gifts from the gods and it seems so easy and commonplace we fail to see the victory, at least I do, of the day to day. For this is something personally, I have always known. I still recall beforehand holding the first handheld and it was so widespread- it became a staple like white bread. Something when the special feeling grows stale. Everyone had 9 numbers like they had two thumbs in the primary working middle class. It was the millennials just before coming of age. Who would be raised afloat the streaming glass. Being the first to a new era of technology; the first to bear witness from the analogue to digital-everything. (Imagine telling grandma about the cookies that would be) at everyone’s fingertips. Arguably near equivalence in significance to the centurions (Babes at the turn of the 20th century.)

In 1908, When the automobile was invented, (confidently enough only a year before the airplane). A large majority of the masses in working middle classes- would not see such a machine in their driveway, not even the elite, for another decade at least.

Facebook invented 2004, not really hitting popular culture until 2010, in my estimation. I remember having a T-mobile phone then. My grandkids perhaps, might react similarly. (Granted the emotional interface is still succinct.) As I might have reacted to my great grandparents (great as in genealogically speaking- they were still excellent grandparents.)

Pardon me for the parentheses.

As I might have reacted to my grandma caning around the bend, after a hip surgery, on the mend. Making my heart race about her Model-T. When the automobile really arrived on the scene that was a piece of history to transfix your gaze in your rearview mirror. Now Imagine seeing a man walk the moon, after taking a rocket there.

We take it for granted today, but at one time it was the feat of mankind. Every twist of the rubik’s of ethics, combined with minerals from the earth we mined. The dirt underneath one’s nails and a diligent mind put a plane in the sky.

Now we will never jettison from our virtual reality headsets. Riding high in our space crafts, the same ones that we hijacked in our minds, hijack our time. Backing up ships into clouds and never even leaving the ground. Reticent of this dimension. Taking Soma in the matrix.

As we roam from echo chamber to echo chamber. Perhaps a troll is sometimes a reality check. Perhaps many may be in mean spirits. But if a troll by Julie Zhuo’s definition is a comment that is critical. I would not recommend she read my blog, because it’s devil’s advocate and a challenge to unpopular thought.

In Julie Zhoe’s definition, one sentiment that she admitted by defining a troll ‘troll as thought provoking’ she critiqued.

In defense of trolls: What would this world look like without provocateurs? Would the world be a nice place without criminals also? Sorry not everything can be a massive ego trip.

If I am on amazon or better yet a more obscure market that might be a smaller business. I need to send a message to some thugs. So I decide I want to buy “Slappy’s’ Whoopie Cushion’’ from “Slappy.” I see below a “Compare Similar Products” option tab.

I might see one for significantly cheaper sold by “Hornees.” Now that could mean lots of things, or it could mean nothing at all. If I don’t need “Slappy’s” name on the toy, I am going to purchase “Hornees” the cheaper option. With the caveat of reading “Hornees’ reviews.”

Now maybe all of the bad reviews got buried because some “trolls” said that “Hornee’s’ is trash and a complete waste of money.”

Perhaps someone said, “When you sit on Hornee’s Whoopie, it makes no sound, it holds no air, and it feels and smells like ham.”

I couldn’t see that review now. so I bought a cheap “Hornees” cushion instead of “Slappy’s.” The point I am making is silencing people is a slippery slope.

What if “Slappy’s” was an insurance company or a sliding scale clinic? I loathe consumerism but as of right now: I am living in shopping-mall- land. I don’t want to lose more money than I already shred; when I am trying to fund the lights above my head, so I can see the shredder beside my bed.

Similar cases apply to outlets that may produce misinformation. Anyone anonymously can create a seemingly real business or news outlet.

Socrates wasn’t a fan of democracy because of the education of the voters. It is also worth pointing out cruel anonymity can be combated with goodwill anonymity.

I believe there are two different kinds of trolls: malignant and benevolent. The malignant are just bullies and should not be confused, but due to anonymity they always may be.

It is sad that people take their lives if it is directly due to online bullying. It is just as sad people take their own lives. We want to put blame somewhere, not on the person who actually took their life.

It’s circumstantial for all I have heard. Sometimes someone is a “terrible-selfish” person for taking their own life. In this case it was “understandable-” as a girl was being bullied. When people are mean you should kill yourself.

How pretty of worlds do these individuals live in? I have been trolled before. I generally don’t post something on a platform unless I am willing to read the criticism. If I felt I had the skin to do it, perhaps I would be a youtube star.

If you look up a video of a tornado siren sound on Goobytube and check out the “like/ dislike ratio” you will see an almost comically unreasonable proportion of dislikes. Why? I suppose some folks find it funny. It can be irritating. So is junk science. If you live with it long enough your tolerance to the pain will strengthen or you will lose your mind.

If I have come across as cold to the anecdotes of those whose lives have seen ill fates because of the internet. Why not see the jobs created? Why not drone strikes be your hill to die on regarding the “Dark side of technologies.”

I know a few friends of mine are really troubled by poverty and hunger. They have tents outside “The New Life Center” They don’t have online profiles and they don’t rent books they don’t care to read. When did life suddenly come with the expectation that things could be fair?

Imagine what a homeless man picking up a newspaper would think of this petty, pushing and pulling, nagging tug-of-war about censorship on luxury platforms.

It’s simply because our society is run by certain trolls, and they call the contrarians the trolls. I could say that, and they could disagree. I would feel no desire to use ad hominem.

Similar irony is calling someone a bigot. Implying you disagree, but can’t accept- you in fact disagree. Those who preach tolerance have the least amount of mercy.

Did god troll the devil or did the devil troll god? Why don’t we talk about it, because now-a-days civilization is all about the ‘side you are on.’

In all honesty a lot of the hateful comments online come from children. Children can be ruthless. Some people just need to learn to be the bigger person.

A paragraph I really like is the third to the last paragraph of the reading. I agree many trolls would not have the nerve to say to your face what they say online.

Same things goes for friends of mine who might agree with me on something in real life, but challenge me online and whoever gets the most likes is the one who is democratically determined to be right.

So that’s what is wrong about top comments, but is it that wrong? Is any of this that wrong? There are various bad circumstances that happen from trolls. Very true. Who knows if they are even real people? What I would rather focus on is the 118 overdoses that happen a day. It’s crickets for those junkies. Let’s not wait for them to change, let’s be proactive. You can’t change the world, but you can change the lens and the way you react to it.

I could go in circles all day. In the summer I go on walks through the cemetery. I could let the world eat me. It’s unclear who said, “The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel.”

‘Some look at the world for its absurdity and laugh, others cry’ — Joker?

I think most of us who think also feel. It’s sometimes not until you have been stranded at the corner of nowhere, that once you arrive at somewhere. You can bypass the ugliness. We are just striving for any kind of struggle. Any kind of fight, to wear us out so we can sleep at night.

Author should thank the trolls for the thesis they wrote. Perhaps I didn’t touch on any of the right questions. Maybe my paper should go to the bottom of the pile. Maybe I am just a pitiful anonymous.

Conclusion: To an evangelical’s comment might be offensive and considered a troll to a muslim. A muslim’s comment could be considered a troll to a homosexual, who most likely would be the most tolerant of them all. We can disagree all day and the world will be no less overflowing with contempt, in fact I would put more eggs in the basket that it may fuel it further.

Let’s all try to lighten up and ponder the negatives more than we already do. Perhaps these folks would not be so anonymous if one were to try to befriend them. Just bear this in mind when you are unsure. Most tribes who are humanized don’t proceed to war. The people take out the pains of their days poorly online while others do it in articles.

And remember the oldest and most important rule of the internet: “Don’t feed the trolls”