Can you define trolling

although there may be a book definition, trolling is usually defined by the user. some see it as any criticizm of their position or work. some see it more narrowly as people who just make the same points over and over again to the point of harrassment. some see it as people who just mock anything anyone does.

regardless, one man's trolling is often another man's "just trying to get their message or point across."

most people don't see themselves as "trolls" but see it all over the place with others...kind of like racism.

There is a troll in each and everyone of us just begging to be let out

Once one has such a definition in place, if they consider themselves a morally evolving person, they have to change I guess. While not calling them trolls, I used to get rid of any negative comments that didn't have something to do with the work. If they gave me shit about a bad sentence of spelling, fine. If they just say I'm shit, then I guess that is trolling. I thought of them as flamers, and indeed wrote a short story making fun of them. I think it is on my blog. If not, I will put it up.

Nah, there's nothing for you to feel bad about. I wouldn't say they are adverse, especially after I read about you and what you do. Maybe it is a testament to how utterly absurd people can be naturally that it isn't always easy to tell the difference between art and "life".

A troll is kind of what it sounds like. A thing that lives under a bridge who generally forces everyone to weather their existence in order to make use of the resource. You know someone is going to be there, and it is inevitable that they are going to respond in a way that just nukes the whole conversation.

That dampens conversation and makes people hesitant to even bother wading in. I don't see you as doing that, not in the least. I want to apologize for mistaking you for someone who was exiled, and who WAS a troll. This place and the mainstay personalities interacting with one another can breed a kind of tunnel vision. We forget that there are other people out there.

I guess what will eventually clarify it for you is seeing how ex-members come back and flood the forums, or go off the deep end as much as they can just to irritate and distract. It's no fault of yours, but when people saw lots of articles being uploaded that were irreverent and not immediately digestible they jumped to conclusions.

I did, anyway, and for that I apologize.

Well,thank you. I feel like I have been in a creative writing class today. And that is a good feeling, over all, though of course a little scary. Thank you also for taking the time to look into my writing and approving. I am a very flawed person... especially when it comes to being reactionary. This is part of what makes me a prolific writer -- I do react very strongly to my environment sometimes. This reactionarianism, like everything, has down sides. I forget how it is percieved sometimes. In fact, once we met a nice couple guys, straight buddies who live by each other, missionaries and teachers who happened to be christians -- of a very open minded sort, I knew because they were introduced to me by the bi-sexaul, hard living poet/techno wizard/second life guru Jason Pettus. They invited us to thanksgiving one year, and we went. betwenn the invite and the dinner they read my blog and found all this anti-christian prose... come the dinner, they were cold, and we could sense the change in the air. They were such wimps. I would not have had me for dinner, but they were trying to be christians and forgiving, but they couldn't even bring the topic up. I found out all of this later. When I was just wondering why they turned on me and asked some folk. I mean, they had laughed at my shows, and almost seemed to fawn over me at first. Knowing why they cut us out of their life, and knowing it had nothing to do with me, didn't make me feel any less crestfallen... POMPOUS, PROFESSORIAL VOICE: But that is the way it is with the philosophical battle that I am waging with writing -- the battle to stop materialism from turning the planet into a deadly dump, which I think needs to be fought on the field of science, far, far away from those who think a prayer is going to make a difference, or worse yet long for the bloody end and some rapture. " HAH~~ Artists are so full of shit. i write to define myself, because my personality is nebulous and open to change.

It may be better if people don't know anything about the writer.
I can see why people keep their live's seperate from their work, like Pynchon. The books and stories can't help but have the subtext of the write'rs life in them, if the reader indeed has read that information prior to approaching the text. Tom Cruise is bearing the brunt of this phenom right now. Too bad, I liked his first movie a lot... Now, he makes hairs rise on the back of my neck... but he is obviously a majorally odded out sort, and everyone is human, makes mistakes. Our greatest poet, maybe, Pound, thought the nazi's were right and in the process almost destroyed his literary legacy. Not to compare myself to the man who taught Hemingway his style--cut out all the descriptive words, he did, and that famous style that I have tried to emulate and learn, was born.... so, I was influenced by a Nazi sympathizer!!! Now the jews are going to hate me, too.

It may be better if people don't know anything about the writer.

sometimes this is a good thing as there are certain people that take what they know about you and twist it and turn it and try to use it against you to hurt you when the fancy takes them....I am a cynic pay no heed!

jennifer 1

About keeping ones personal infor private: Yes. A journalist buddy of mine keeps his cards so close to his chest that no one has ever seen them. He literally hides everything about himself, because he has seen so many people torn apart by the newspapers for doing or saying this and that. He was also in the intelligence community for awhile, and those guys are real closed mouth too. Criminals are another group that trusts no one with information about them. I tend to feel like I have to put myself out there, because I am a lot of things that people are unfairly criticized for. Like a pot head, a socialist, bi, etc... and I want to confront the enemy, have it out, make them look silly, and perhaps influence a few people... most importantly, I want other people like me to have a room of words they can enter where they are respected, accepted... something I never had, and longed for. I know this opens me up to an arrest, possibly, but luckily I am in Chi-town, where they don't care about small time users.

It may be better if people don't know anything about the writer

that is a rather safe position to assume. but i have stated before, and will say it again, that depending on what kind of writing you do, it can be a detriment.

if you are writing fiction or about things that aren't personal or that no personal views are expressed, then an alias is no distraction. and yes, at times , may help.

i believe that if you are reporting however, or if you are writing non fiction and in that case some personal opinions will come into play, then credibility comes into play. and putting your name behind it carries weight. also, doing it annonymously, to me, diminishes the credibility.

that is why i use my real name.

now some will put up "what about the lunatics" protests...which are legitimate. but all professional journalists put their name on their work, a few may use pseudonyms but they are the exception.

i have been writing online since the early 90's under my own name, and longer offline, or in ways that i don't hide who i am where only "screennames" are allowed. i don't claim that this gives me an aura of credibility or infallibility, but it does let the reader know that i am willing to stand behind my words fearlessly. that i am not just spouting off crap just to infuriate people.

i have been approached about my writings in my life, but i've never had an unmanageable problem or had my life threatened in any meaningful way. most times, the reader comes away with a better understanding of my thoughts than any blog would allow in it's context driven limitations. and i've made a few friends over the years too.

but that's my way, my perrogative and it has served me well. others make their own determinations, rationalizations and justifications and hopefully they serve them as well.

FOREVER SERENITY I am sorry that I hurt anyones feelings for no damn good reason at all. That is bad social karma, indeed. Hopefully, I can make it up to you with a few laughs.

Tuttle, we're fine. I've learned a little more about you and I understand (and that's why I restrained myself too). Thx for not coming at me in attack mode. You're a gentleman! And I'm holding you to the laugh, I love a good joke, bawdy or not!