[zarastralia]

Some thoughts about trolls:

(1) Any fine poster who is even slightly unkind will pick up trolls, like ivy on a great tree

(2) It follows from (1) that if you attract trolls then this is a sign that you are a good poster -- yay

(3) The ability to tolerate trolls in the sense of not being angry with them is a measure of your self-confidence.

(4) You feed and retain trolls them by responding negatively to them. You 'destroy' trolls by being nice to them.

(5) Powerful trolling is indistinguishable from good criticism

(6) It follows from (4),(5) that one way to destroy trolls is to cheerfully acknowledge any good arguments they may provide, however vile the tone

[tenk]

Is it necessary to be unkind, even slightly? If not, it would not follow that attracting trolls is a sign you are a good poster.

Why is powerful trolling indistinguishable from good criticism? Can one not provide good criticism in a non-trolling way?

Agreed with (3), (4) and (6).

[zarastralia]

>Is it necessary to be unkind, even slightly?

No, sure, it isn't. However, one can write a useful reply in terms of content without being aware one is being unkind.

In such cases it will feel something like 'wow, I'm so clever today' or 'he deserves a good solid fisking'.

The trolls are useful in that they bring this problem into awareness. Kindness/decency is a requirement for continued discussion, which is at least as important as discussion itself.

[chopmo]

1+2: I agree! 3: I need to work on that... ;) 4: Right about the retention part, but some trolls are really persistent and not easily destroyed 5: How do you mean? 6: This is a decent strategy for sure, but no guarantee that they'll go away.