when you engage with the trolls

[MitchiestInge]

. . . is it a personal thing (actually engaging emotionally) or are you communicating with a wider, more silent audience or are there other motivations?

I can't work out why more people don't ignore them, but every now and then the exchanges are unintentionally funny or interesting - although mostly it gets very dull very quickly. Wondering what's in it for them too.

...engaging with a wider audience....

Yes. They do get boring, very quickly...because a lot of trolls ideas/"voices" are two dimensional or one issue nonsense.

But the responses (especially from the fiercely intelligent and witty feminists) are worthy and, worth it. IMO.

are they quite valuable then, in their way? I'd rather they weren't here at all, whether something useful comes out of it or not, but maybe I should try to persuade myself of their worth

I lurk often, and am surprised at how much air time is given to trolls in this section. It could be because:

• it practices rhetorical skills
• it is a sort of indulence for regular posters - the worst reason surely?
• it's because in RL there is little chance to talk with those with such extreme views
• it's entertaining.
• because sometimes it's worthwhile.

Sometimes I have seen blokes and women come on and show some evidence of genuine enquiry, but then get blown away, so discussion ends.

Out of interest Pan, are you not a feminist because you don't think men can be feminists, or because you don't believe in equal rights for women?

I think it's frustration - arggh whyyyy can't you see the point, it's so obvious, if I keep explaining myself repeatedly in different ways maybe you'll see the light and fuck off

Often it's views which are expressed commonly in rl, and it seems like an opportunity to evangelise here with a bit of anonymity?

I agree it's very tedious when a good discussion is derailed and more posters engage with the troublemaking poster than with each other.

I hadn't thought of a couple of those - especially the when would you come across someone with such beliefs in real life idea. Although I know someone quite like that and often wonder if it's him, but he's not that thick and probably couldn't pretend to be for such a long time.

Annie - I know it's because I intensely dislike labels and am an iconoclast by nature. Just about all of what I do and think, I am sure, is feminist. Self-proclaimed 'Male feminists'? - met a few, but it rarely lasts when the big questions of life make demands.tbh.

< and don't flutter your eyelashes at me!>

I don't see why 'a sort of indulgence for regular posters' would be any worse or better a reason than the others though?

They often start off innocuously enough, and suck people in that way. I usually drop them when it becomes obvious.

The ones that irritate me most as slippery eels are the ones who claim to be "de-lurking" to stick the boot in. You can't really tell them to fuck off, in case they are being honest, but they reek of sock-puppetry, and cumulatively create the impression of hordes of horrified oppositionists. Tricky.

indulgence thing? - maybe you're right, not the worst - but like watching a very slow motion car crash.

LeBOF - I have come to learn to hide those threads, ruthlessly.

Pan, fair enough. Walking the walk is way better than talking the talk, imo.

Ha! Maybe I paint a too sceptical picture of myself! Am also thinking I am one of a very few male posters who come on this section, when I do post. A bit regretable.

Trolls - can be a very useful reminder. Has anyone googled 'mens issues'? I did last week for something for work purposes. Scroll down a bit and it's a bit scary what you find.

Communicating with a wider, more silent audience.

With the more reasoning ones, I sometimes find I manage to crystallise a certain point that I've never bothered describing before. So that's useful for me and, potentially, the silent readers.

Pan, I've given up reading menz rightz sites because I'm too often gobsmacked by opinions such as "no-fault" divorce being a retrograde step for humanity. I still like reading more general men's forums, though. They're just like women's forums only with more DY.

DIY, that is.

I like tearing the trolls a new arsehole. It's my little well-deserved indulgence when I have had to be polite to muppets all day. I like to poke them till they explode (even though MNHQ have this rather mean habit of deleting my finest moments before the troll has seen then and run off crying and clutching his feeble little willy)

Who are these trolls you speak of?

garlic - there is a BIG difference between 'menz issues' and 'menz rightz' stuff.

I guess I like to stick to the practice of 'don't feed the troll' and ignore it, but it's easy to see why other posters don't wish to do that. I susepct if I was a feminist female I'd be tearing a few new arseholes too.

Ahh, Eddthecluck, go and find a mirror and have a look in it.

yes I don't see why people should be denied some entertainment or satisfaction, mostly it is all shocking displays of patience

do you have to stand well back when they explode or is it a blink and you'll miss it sort of non-event?

I love it when the trolls get flattened on here... It's also helpful when more articulate and better educated posters can defend the corner so well. It gives me great ammunition when faced by idiots in RL.

So, thank you.

I saw that. It was revealing.