Well, for the second time in my relatively lengthy (albeit minor) career of posting on discussions around the internet, I've been labeled a troll!
The first time was posting at a Blogging Tory site, owned by a... "colourful" (and more than a little bit racist) gentleman named Neo Conservative (I refuse to link to him). I had tried to engage him (quite pleasantly, at least so I had thought) on a post he'd written that was critical of a neighborhood holding a candlelight vigil for a murdered local child. Instead of responding to my criticism of his opinion, he merely linked to my sparsely-outfitted Blogger account (before I had this blog linked to it), called me a troll, and refused to address my comment further.
This time, I wrote a highly critical opinion on astrology over at Lousy Canuck, where Jason was having a spirited debate with Jamie, a practitioner of that "esoteric art" (I then followed that up with a post here at home.) Obviously, my opinion didn't please Jamie at all, and I have been branded a troll yet again. I was originally determined to stay out of it and merely toss a little invective in from the sidelines, but I think I'll try jumping into the conversation and seeing where it goes. I want to see if Jamie considers me a troll or merely a skeptic.
EDIT: Troll it is! I found a series of snarky little responses to my joining in on Jamie's free reading contest (in which I took what was apparently a joke about levitation as a construction tool seriously - do Poes count against New Age believers?). I was even vaguely threatened in one of his responses (not physically, I'm certain - I think Jamie probably meant he was sending a curse or negative tachyon burst in my general direction.). I tried dropping the hostility-dripping reply I was thinking of and broke out some apology and a touch of humility (but only a touch!) in order to see if I can draw something interesting out of what has mostly been a pissing match between Jamie and I thus far.
I, too, am now a troll. I really think we need to have a better standard definition for "troll" that is a little more than
ReplyDeleteTroll- Guy who posts on my website who doesn't agree with my opinion or the opinions of my regular readers.
I always assumed that a troll was someone who purposely derailed a thread with comments designed to achieve nothing other than offense.
Oh well, I've got a date with the three billy goats gruff so I'll have to bid you good day.
Also, thanks for the link in your blogroll. If I can figure out how to reciprocate, I certainly will.(Wordpress wont let me post Non-Wordpress blogs to my blogroll.)
Well, Jamie and Marina did respond on the Somerset holiday thread. Marina said comments were being caught up in moderation, which didn't explain how comments that both Jamie and I had made had disappeared. Jamie then owned up that he had deleted all the comments between he and I in that thread and stated the Skeptics And Trolls thread was for discussion. He then hinted that my comments weren't welcome anywhere but that thread.
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly, I think that he couldn't really care less about my comments as it allows him to prop himself up as a poor oppressed victim of the evil skeptics, but rather that he didn't really look like an wise and enlightened teacher mocking me for an apparent "miserable life" that was "soon to become much worse". I guess I'll never know, because I think I'm done there. You and Jason have made much more salient discussion points than I have and received next to zero serious comments on any of your points. Jamie and I have pretty much only exchanged invectives, and I doubt that's likely to change.
I couldn't help but add you to my blogroll. I'm pretty new to blogging on my own site, and when I read how eloquent you are in making many of your points, I have to hope I'll eventually get at least half that well spoken. Don't worry about a return link - I'm mainly doing this as an outlet for my huge ego, not necessarily to gain a wide readership.