Linux Rants

<RandomInternetGuy> YOur a Troll.
<LinuxRants> Uh, it’s “you’re” actually.
<RandomInternetGuy> What?
<LinuxRants> It’s “You’re a Troll”, not “Your a Troll”. “Your” is the possessive.
<RandomInternetGuy2> STOP FEEDING THE TROLL!1!!

I get called a Troll quite a lot. And not just Troll either. I’ve been called “useless”, “a puke”, “dead weight”, and many other even less polite names. I’ve had my posts intentionally edited (and not even subtly) by site Admins because they didn’t like what I had to say. I’ve been Ignored, Banned, and had my accounts deleted and/or submitted to an Administrator to be disabled. There are a more than a few people that don’t like me very much.

xkcd.com

The above conversation would be uncommon for me, since I don’t tend to correct people’s spelling or grammar. If I did, I could be at it all day. To be honest, my spelling and grammar isn’t that great either, so attempting to correct others would be a touch hypocritical. As long as I can understand what you’re (See? “You’re” not “your”.) saying, I’ll let it ride. I don’t go out of my way to troll other people’s conversations, but sometimes when I feel that something has been said that is egregiously wrong, I’ll say something. I’m also very passionate about my opinions, and if someone says that I’m wrong, they better damn well be able to prove it.

Not Agreeing is Not Trolling

I don’t believe that the fact that I may reply to a comment that I don’t agree with automatically makes my response trolling. Quite the opposite in fact. I think half the reason that people call me a troll is because they don’t like what I have to say, but don’t have the facts to back up their own position. But what is a troll anyway? Well, on the Internet, the way a troll is defined is like this:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. The noun troll may also refer to the provocative message itself, as in: “That was an excellent troll you posted.”

Looking for Agreement

Disagreeing with someone’s opinion is not being a troll. Sticking to your guns despite lame counters is not trolling. When someone says, “OSX is based on Linux”, correcting them is not trolling. To me, what you’re (See? “You’re” not “your”.) saying is this: “I don’t have an argument, so how can I walk away from this looking like the winner?” The Internet has become a place where people go when they’re looking for reinforcement. They want to throw their opinions out on to the net and have “The World” tell them “You’re so right”, and “What a brilliant mind you have!” What they don’t want is a challenge. They’re looking for agreement, so they get sensitive very quickly when they don’t get it.

Quit Whining

I just want to close with this message to these people. Quit your (See? “Your” not “you’re”.) damn whining. Not everybody is going to agree with you. You’re not the smartest person on the planet, and all of your opinions aren’t right just because you have them. I realize that I’m not always right, and I actually appreciate it when someone legitimately points out a failing in my logic. It makes me reevaluate my position with this new information, and that makes me better. Hiding behind your name calling and ban button makes you less. I also become a better person every time someone blocks me. No longer being subjected to your idiocy and cowardice is better in the long run.