Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2015 18:53:28 -0500
From: cabe
Subject: The Chatlist Troll
Sharon Graham got it just about right regarding the Taylor Kish. Taylor Kish (whoever he, she, or it might be; perhaps a cover name for an organization, right?) seems more intent on inducing responses, perhaps heated, to his/her/its posts than in promoting either understanding of any important issues or eliciting any reasoned discussion of those issues. Al Cooke also got it just about right, when he pointed out the devious argumentative ploys that Taylor Kish (whoever he, she, or it might be) attempts.
I have been on a number of e-mail discussion lists over the years. The common name for list contributors such as Taylor Kish (whoever he, she, or it might be) is TROLL. And, yes, e-mail trolls emit the same vibe as the evil being under the bridge in he fairy tale, that is, lying (sic) in wait for the unwary.
Trolls operate by sending outrageous posts to the e-mail discussion list, in hopes of dragging unsuspecting auditors of the list into a response. Then the troll pounces with scathing attacks on the person who wrote the response (but rarely the substance of the response). This is Taylor Kish (whoever he, she, or it may be) all over.
Just in passing, if someone lies about his, her, or its name, how much of what he, she, or it actually says can you believe?
Pat Cabe