Trolling and the morality of bullying on the internet.

[Blaggard]

Ok well I have been thinking about this for a while now, and I am interested in how and why trolls behave the way they do, I know of course children often act out, often bully others and so on, but a large majority of trolls on the internet are well into their twenties, and some of the worst I have seen well into their 60s.

So how would you go about answering the question why troll? What do you get out of it? You don't have to be a troll to answer obviously but I am genuinely concerned about the mental health of some people on the internet...

So with that in mind, and asking people to stick to the forum rules whatever they are, please explain to me why this trolling is now endemic and how you would justify it morally if indeed you would..?

I am also interested to hear from anyone who has been affected by this sort of bullying, and how they feel about the sort of people that indulge in this chimp like behaviour; ah no that's not fair chimpanzees don't bully others like humans do, but you get the point.

And no this is not a troll it's a genuine concern for the health of a social medium. Before anyone says that.

[Ginkgo]

Ok well I have been thinking about this for a while now, and I am interested in how and why trolls behave the way they do, I know of course children often act out, often bully others and so on, but a large majority of trolls on the internet are well into their twenties, and some of the worst I have seen well into their 60s.

So how would you go about answering the question why troll? What do you get out of it? You don't have to be a troll to answer obviously but I am genuinely concerned about the mental health of some people on the internet...

So with that in mind, and asking people to stick to the forum rules whatever they are, please explain to me why this trolling is now endemic and how you would justify it morally if indeed you would..?

I am also interested to hear from anyone who has been affected by this sort of bullying, and how they feel about the sort of people that indulge in this chimp like behaviour; ah no that's not fair chimpanzees don't bully others like humans do, but you get the point.

And no this is not a troll it's a genuine concern for the health of a social medium. Before anyone says that.

I agree, strong bad language, bullying and intimidation should result in deleted posts, no questions asked and no correspondence entered into.

[Blaggard]

I agree, strong bad language, bullying and intimidation should result in deleted posts, no questions asked and no correspondence entered into.

Well yes that's a given, so why is it so widely tolerated across the internet, and seemingly on many forums and in fact game licenses use EULA to pretty much run fascist states?

For example I have been banned permanently from certain MMORPGs for life for pointing out that death threats are in fact illegal in your country, they quoted the EULA atm and then perma banned me for having the nerve to say they were in fact using illegal practices to moderate a game. Which was odd.

I was perma banned from a forum when I told the moderators that death threats were illegal and that they should not indulge users who break the law, I was quoted forum rules and then booted for life, from a forum in the UK where it is strictly illegal to intimidate, bully or issue any kind of threat on line, that involves killing or harming another. They ignored that and just kicked me for life, while the trolls continued to issue death threats and joke how they had got someone perma banned long after the fact.

I know someone who trolled on one forum who actually phoned a real life person and threatened to kill them at work, the forums response was not to ban the troll, but to admonish the person in question for reacting badly on the forum? I mean you facking would some nutter phoned you in real life and threatened he was going to kill you! At the very least you'd be slightly put out by some interweb tin foil hat wearing freak finding out your work number, let alone telling you he was hence going to kill you, presumably he knows where you live too!

I honestly don't get it any more?

I honestly think games and forums, to name but a few interweb mediums for discourse are existing in some odd other universe where they are divorced from actual civil law by way of just making it up as they go along, and I for one am bemused that the legal systems of various countries are letting them do this. Yes it's not a democracy we know, but it's hardly Nazi Germany either so why behave like it is?

I for one would like to see the internet subject to if not common law, then some vaguely universal code of conduct, I wont see it in my life time but: I have a dream.

Now I am not saying we should institute t'interweb police far from it in fact and quite the opposite, but there should at least be some morality somewhere, anywhere would be nice.

[duszek]

I agree with everything you say, Mr B.

Why are trolls allowed on certain forums ?
The only explanation I can think of is: because they own the forum or because they sponsor it substantially.

I have never been expelled from any forum. I left some of them after a time.

A certain Chaz Women used to post here. He once said something very nasty to me but I survived. He usually talked reasonably and was one of the better posters. I hope he is still alive.

I forgave him his one time attack on me. Perhaps he was severly drunk at the time or had an aggressive day.

[HexHammer]

In many cases it's whiney n00bs who goes all crybaby when someone burst their bubble, quite tragic.

[Blaggard]

In many cases it's whiney n00bs who goes all crybaby when someone burst their bubble, quite tragic.

Are you making a reference to me?

[HexHammer]

In many cases it's whiney n00bs who goes all crybaby when someone burst their bubble, quite tragic.

Are you making a reference to me?

No, u'r by far not the only one who has gone all crybaby on me.

When I beat 3 n00bs in Age of Kings, they accuse me either of cheating or being pro, and they refuse to believe that I'm only a 3/10, and I call them n00bs who play utterly bad, then they go all ballistic.

[Blaggard]

In many cases it's whiney n00bs who goes all crybaby when someone burst their bubble, quite tragic.

Are you making a reference to me?

No, u'r by far not the only one who has gone all crybaby on me.

When I beat 3 n00bs in Age of Kings, they accuse me either of cheating or being pro, and they refuse to believe that I'm only a 3/10, and I call them n00bs who play utterly bad, then they go all ballistic.

I've never gone cry baby on you so...

People who use the terms pro just piss me off, so what you are saying is someone who has too much spare time and lives in his mothers basement is very good at the game therefore is a pro. Hmmm I beg to differ, a pro nerd maybe.

Also people who when they lose go all over the chat rooms claiming how n00b some x was and that he cheated and you just think dude: grow up it's a game. If someone turns up with tanks in Age of Kings though chances are they cheated.

I've seen it all though people who deliberately lag to exploit the game timer, people who hack the game so they can't lose, real numb nut losers basically.

I must admit to taking a sort of perverse delight in pwn wars though when x claims to be sooooo much better than y 'cause he kicked his ass. But that is slightly different. It's almost always kids who are immature but I've seen people in there 20s lose it because they lost, which is sad, or someone ragequits who you know is in reality 56 years old, and you think dude, show some decorum your meant to be mature, what sort of example is that to set! :S

[Bill Wiltrack]

.



.............................................You,... you do know that you are on a philosophy forum, right?





.

[Blaggard]

.



.............................................You,... you do know that you are on a philosophy forum, right?





.

No shit Sherlock.

Morality is not confined by types.

[Bill Wiltrack]

.




yeah. I'm still waiting for the philosophy part from you...



..........................







.

[Blaggard]

Already done, what do you want me to do, say it again?

The morality of bullying and trolling is that not a topic deserving of the term ethics now? Or are you some sort of arbiter on human morality who decides on a whim and with an ill conceived gif what is allowed to be in the moral interval?

[HexHammer]

I've never gone cry baby on you so...

People who use the terms pro just piss me off, so what you are saying is someone who has too much spare time and lives in his mothers basement is very good at the game therefore is a pro. Hmmm I beg to differ, a pro nerd maybe.

Also people who when they lose go all over the chat rooms claiming how n00b some x was and that he cheated and you just think dude: grow up it's a game. If someone turns up with tanks in Age of Kings though chances are they cheated.

I've seen it all though people who deliberately lag to exploit the game timer, people who hack the game so they can't lose, real numb nut losers basically.

I must admit to taking a sort of perverse delight in pwn wars though when x claims to be sooooo much better than y 'cause he kicked his ass. But that is slightly different. It's almost always kids who are immature but I've seen people in there 20s lose it because they lost, which is sad, or someone ragequits who you know is in reality 56 years old, and you think dude, show some decorum your meant to be mature, what sort of example is that to set! :S

What the heck are you on about? You say very weird things, read again!

[Blaggard]

Er hold on I was making a comment on what you said, the context is obvious, maybe you should read what I said again, you wont of course but you probably should.

ok well since you need it in black and white you said:

No, u'r by far not the only one who has gone all crybaby on me.

I said

I've never gone cry baby on you so...

The rest was clearly a response to your comments about AOE:AOK.

When I beat 3 n00bs in Age of Kings, they accuse me either of cheating or being pro, and they refuse to believe that I'm only a 3/10, and I call them n00bs who play utterly bad, then they go all ballistic.

This part is related to

People who use the terms pro just piss me off, so what you are saying is someone who has too much spare time and lives in his mothers basement is very good at the game therefore is a pro. Hmmm I beg to differ, a pro nerd maybe.

Also people who when they lose go all over the chat rooms claiming how n00b some x was and that he cheated and you just think dude: grow up it's a game. If someone turns up with tanks in Age of Kings though chances are they cheated.

I've seen it all though people who deliberately lag to exploit the game timer, people who hack the game so they can't lose, real numb nut losers basically.

I must admit to taking a sort of perverse delight in pwn wars though when x claims to be sooooo much better than y 'cause he kicked his ass. But that is slightly different. It's almost always kids who are immature but I've seen people in there 20s lose it because they lost, which is sad, or someone ragequits who you know is in reality 56 years old, and you think dude, show some decorum your meant to be mature, what sort of example is that to set! :S

This part, I don't get the issue?

Is that more easy to understand because I can explain it further if you need me to?

[HexHammer]

Er hold on I was making a comment on what you said, the context is obvious, maybe you should read what I said again, you wont of course but you probably should.

ok well since you need it in black and white you said:

No, u'r by far not the only one who has gone all crybaby on me.

I said

I've never gone cry baby on you so...

The rest was clearly a response to your comments about AOE:AOK.

When I beat 3 n00bs in Age of Kings, they accuse me either of cheating or being pro, and they refuse to believe that I'm only a 3/10, and I call them n00bs who play utterly bad, then they go all ballistic.

This part is related to

People who use the terms pro just piss me off, so what you are saying is someone who has too much spare time and lives in his mothers basement is very good at the game therefore is a pro. Hmmm I beg to differ, a pro nerd maybe.

Also people who when they lose go all over the chat rooms claiming how n00b some x was and that he cheated and you just think dude: grow up it's a game. If someone turns up with tanks in Age of Kings though chances are they cheated.

I've seen it all though people who deliberately lag to exploit the game timer, people who hack the game so they can't lose, real numb nut losers basically.

I must admit to taking a sort of perverse delight in pwn wars though when x claims to be sooooo much better than y 'cause he kicked his ass. But that is slightly different. It's almost always kids who are immature but I've seen people in there 20s lose it because they lost, which is sad, or someone ragequits who you know is in reality 56 years old, and you think dude, show some decorum your meant to be mature, what sort of example is that to set! :S

This part, I don't get the issue?

Is that more easy to understand because I can explain it further if you need me to?

No, because you are babbeling. You say thing unrelating to what I said.

You don't even comprehend what I said, instead you try to make 1 long ad hom.