The Blood is The Life 20-03-2012

[miss_s_b]

• Change to Sunday trading laws would force us into shops against our will, warn Christians
  (tags: funny )
  
• The 1930s advert that Mercedes Benz would rather forget
  Proud suppliers of the Nazis!
  (tags: history )
  
  
• Otters Who Look Like Benedict Cumberbatch
  (tags: funny )
  
• BBC News - Richard Bacon: My battle with the trolls
  I worry about the maxim "don't feed the troll". While it's certainly good advice for the victim, I worry that it's the fact that bystanders don't speak out that lets them think their behaviour is acceptable.
  (tags: internet )
  
  
• Wile E Coyote, Tragic Hero of Science
  "Wile E’s faithful adherence to scientific principles in a universe that has no respect for them is admirable. When the wrong half of the cliff falls away or the heavier end of the catapult flips upside down to smash him, Wile E goes back to his drawing board faithfully and tries again and again and again and again. He knows how the laws of his universe should work, but does not know that the gods lording over his existence are sadistic jerks who take glee in his suffering."
  (tags: heroes )
  
  
• BBC News - Doctors to challenge coalition MPs
  I hope they pay attention to the actual voting records of the actual MPs, and don't just stand agin ANY Tory/Lib Dem...
  (tags: )
  
  

Comments

[strangecharm]

I worry that it's the fact that bystanders don't speak out that lets them think their behaviour is acceptable.

Me too. Interestingly, every time lately that I've spoken out on other people's LJs about this, I've been immediately labeled a troll, and a hater, and all kinds of other delightful things.

[miss_s_b]

People are weird things.

[ginasketch]

Yeah I don't understand "don't feed the troll" either- I'm not feeding the troll, I'm trolling it.

[matgb]

I think part of the problem is that people have stopped using the word "troll" to mean "deliberately provocative arsehole looking for an argument and prepared to say stuff they don't necessarily mean" and instead started using it to mean "anyone I disagree with that won't back down", makes it a harder discussion to have.

I've always found engagement without hyperbole normally works better than getting angry as it's getting a rise that they want.

[gwenhwyfaer]

I think in some cases, it gets used for "someone saying stuff I'm scared of admitting to myself I agree with because it'll raise all kinds of questions about my worldview that I'm desperately trying to avoid having to deal with". Then it gets even more difficult to have a conversation. The accusation also comes up a lot when someone challenges, even mildly, the prevailing groupthink of a place. Especially when they're a bit odd, or awkward, or spiky to start with. But then, I've noticed that there's a very English attitude of "we'll accept you so long as you keep your head down, but the second you step out of line any distinguishing characteristic is fair game".

My own personal maxim is that if anyone calls me a troll, I'm gone. I try never to be anything other than genuine, but if I've been that bad at communicating (which is always possible!), it seems unlikely I'm going to find the magic words to heal the rift... and if, on the other hand, I haven't actually said anything to warrant the accusation, whatever issues the accuser is dealing with are both not my problem and beyond my reach. Either way, there's simply no possibility of a useful continuation of the debate.

(I suppose another way to put that is that I'm ridiculously easy to bully into silence...)

[strangecharm]

Absolutely; I was talking about this with Andrew just yesterday. It's like how people who want to be clever are using "problematic" these days; just to mean "something I don't like/agree with" and is intended to shut down further discussion.

[gwenhwyfaer]

Every time I hear the word "problematic", all I can think of is Summer Glau trying to eat a white cake thing on a chain...