I’ve been watching events unfold over on the IMDb message board the past few days, so I’d like to throw out some general thoughts regarding Trolls.
Trolling: a style of fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot, hoping for a bite.
To a troll, any attention is good attention, especially if it gets their target group heated enough to forget themselves and unleash their knowledge of a beloved subject/person in a fit of passion. This gives them ample opportunity to scoff at your dedication while showcasing their (believed) superior wit. Do not give them what they want. Do not feed the trolls; they will starve if they are not acknowledged. That means ignoring and not responding to anything they have to say, and I mean anything.
I’ve watched these types of dramatics many times in various circumstances. Commenters, who don’t even have an interest in the beloved subject matter (in this case, Richard Armitage) will throw out seemingly innocent comments that they know will incite.
Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!Do not engage…even to try and keep the peace.
They may come in standing on a solid platform at the beginning of the disagreement but their behavior swiftly tears the wrappings away and reveals truly rotten foundations. Would you waste your time on a forum whose subject matter you weren’t even interested in? Don’t let their petty need for attention darken your happy Hobbit hole.
My advice would be to block them & pretend that they don’t exist. If you’re worried that they are spreading slanderous lies about Richard and disrespecting his privacy, their reach is small. Do you believe everything you read in comments? If you care, you investigate further. Those who are gullible enough to believe anything are just passing through anyway. The ones who care will seek out the truth.
A troll’s audience are the lurkers. when you respond, you become players in their show; don’t be a tool.
Now does anyone know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
I’m asking for a friend.
Nowhere in Particular RA 