[Currawong]

I had a thought today, that playing politics and trolling are really the same thing, different only in the intended outcome.
 
Trolling intends to stir people up to make them angry at you.
 
Playing politics intends to stir people up to make them agree with you.

 

[cjpearson]

ok

 

[digger945]

yep

 

[vunique]

Trolling is the art of persuasion. I like it

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

Trolling is the art of persuasion. I like it

Have fun with it, I prefer solid arguments and honesty. Trolling has some side effects though like mockery, sarcasm and ad hominem posts against the troller. It is best to stay polite and honest. (Sometimes though I have to keep my cool.) 
 
Art of persuasion? I am not persuaded...
 

 

[vunique]

Quote:

Quote:
Have fun with it, I prefer solid arguments and honesty. Trolling has some side effects though like mockery, sarcasm and ad hominem posts against the troller. It is best to stay polite and honest. (Sometimes though I have to keep my cool.) 
 
Art of persuasion? I am not persuaded...
 

An argument is all fine and dandy, but to read so much from my comment kind of irks me cause:
1) I didn't intend to 'persuade' you
2) I wasn't aruging that trolling is 'normal' or the 'right' thing to do

 

[Deep Funk]

Vunique, it is cool. 
 
I just get annoyed by any remark in favour of trolling. Sometimes a witty provocation is doable but trolling, no. 
 

 

[kboe]

Which is why we should eat them both alive!

 

[RedSky0]

On a vaguely related point, I get really annoyed when people confuse trolling with having a contrary opinion.

 

[Deep Funk]

It is all down to how one formulates their opinion. It gets worse when someone just does not get to the point, oh well...

 

[Prog Rock Man]

With forums you miss all of the visual clues that show us intention behind what was said. So something that would be perfectly innocent and to which no would take offence if we were all having a chat down the pub, can unintentionally cause great offence on a forum.

 

[Currawong]

Back when the internet was still a fairly new thing, in the early '90s, I figured out that the reason we get all riled up in front of the computer is that we don't have an outlet for our emotional energy. Our anger or whatever just stays bottled up.  Face to face, we can at least talk and let some of the energy out verbally.
 
The main point of my comment was, however, to consider how, in both cases, the idea is to manipulate someone's feelings, by invoking them on subjects they have strong feelings and opinions about.  I read a lovely article about propaganda which goes into detail about how we are manipulated in this way in day-to-day life.  I will post it later on in a separate blog entry.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

This is a forum as opposed to a chat room, so I take it that debate and opinion and information sharing and Q&A are expected. I have certainly manipulated feelings to the point that I have been called controlling. But, since the intention to stir things up was never there, I am not a troll or politician. But some topics (see Sound Science

) it kind of comes with the territory.

 

[rocknrolldoctor]

Quote:

On a vaguely related point, I get really annoyed when people confuse trolling with having a contrary opinion.

I have seen this on the DIY fourm here often, they are all friendly unless you have a contrary opinion then you are called a troll after personal attacks...
Its good to see its only confinded to the DIY area..
 
I think often people mouth off as in life they would get their face punched in and on the net they are fearless and lose their manors