Get two or more opposing trolls and you have a “flame war.”

Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:52:19 -0400
From: CrYpTiK
Subject: Re: Deborah Bair re: Sarah Shook

Deborah, I’ve noticed that pounding people repeatedly for pretty much any perceived infraction, however minor it happens to be, is a common trend on any Internet forum, and there’s only one solution: if you don’t like it, ignore it.  These people are known as “trolls” and to reply in any way is to “feed the trolls.”  Any reply, good or bad, is an invitation for further heated commentary.  Get two or more opposing trolls and you have a “flame war.”  Judging by Sarah Shook’s reply directly beneath your own, a flame war is precisely where this thing is headed, and if we don’t give these posts the dignity of a response, they eventually won’t have anything else to troll or flame about.

I sympathize with you on this topic.  There is no excuse for acting like a fool in any public forum, be it online or in the middle of the street.  It’s all about seeking attention.  If they don’t get it, they’ll be forced to put those energies to use elsewhere.  🙂

-Anonymous Ex-Troll-