Trollery isn’t necessarily about “controversial and irrelevant or off-topic” messages. It’s about provocative messages that are intended to elicit predictable responses.

On alt.folklore.urban, trolling is considered an art form. The newsgroup has a hard core group of highly intelligent and highly informed regulars who think it’s funny to post something that is correct but appears to be incorrect, usually because of arcane knowledge, hoping to get some reader who has dropped in to bite on the hook. The code of conduct requires that when you’re trolling in such a manner, that you indicate in a header that you’re doing it deliberately, so that other regulars look carefully at the post before responding.

The point of their trolling is fun, rather than vandalism.

I make provocative statements fairly regularly, but that’s because I’m trying to provoke thought and discussion, rather than arguments. I’m not likely to change anybody’s mind by arguing, nor is anyone else, but if I can get someone to ask themselves questions, they can perhaps realize that they don’t believe what they thought they believed.

I live in Pennsylvania these days, so I’m allowed to be bitter about getting screwed by politicians, and I am. I’m allowed to cling to my religion, and I don’t deny having sung about clinging to the old rugged cross many times. My wife walks into the room, and I smell her hair, and I lose control; that’s unbalanced, isn’t it?

And like Senator Biden, I figure that if I’m told someone’s baby is made of blue steel, they are awfully lonely creatures.

Guns can be tools; if I shoot something, I eat it. Guns can be toys; I’ve perforated lots of tin cans over the years. Guns can be jewelry; lots of guys wear guns because that gives them delusions of adequacy. But an object of affection that doesn’t have a heart and a brain is just a dildo.

“Your pet evangelical president has trashed our economy, shredded the constitution, killed thousands with his mismanagement of the war in Iraq, and has 65% of Americans disapproving of his conduct in office… but by god he inspired those ladies to win gold in beach volleyball! What an accomplishment. I imagine it will be the centerpiece of his presidential library, you should all be so proud.”

Your clever way of smearing the President and those who wanted to support him reeked of the tone of politics you claim to hate. You posted a comment to hate on the President and those who support him. So I don’t by your hypocritical statement that you “just have a problem with the tone politics has taken”. Spare me!

An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial and irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

Therefore my use of the term was correct in response to your comment you left on this thread.

http://hoosieraccess.com/blog/2008/08/21/wont-see-this-in-the-nbc-olympic-archive/

Is that not what you came here to do? You obviously don’t have the same political philosophy that we hold on this site. If I go over to Thomas Cook’s site to post a conservative message there, I’m a troll. We’re all trolls at some point or another, so don’t act all disgusted at being called a troll.

Frankly, we love having Democrats stop by. As you’ve probably seen, mikeyc252 is here all the time. We never agree w/him, but (at least I am) happy he stops by. You have to learn not to take things so personally (unless it was a really dumb comment, like we’ve had here before recently…won’t lie, it happens).

But loosen up Kyletime. I love that you’re here. But don’t get your undies in a bunch for being called a Troll. Go to some Democrat sites and the name calling is much worse when a Republican troll stops by. Frankly, that’s why we went to a rigidly moderated system (meaning you have to sign up to leave comment, not just post anonymously and leave) of posting comments.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

This could spell trouble!