The "Art" of Trolling

[WP]

On the forums, I usually try to post things that at least have some content. One of the things I nixed pretty much said this.

Most TKers act like a pack of wild 4chan rejects.

Pretty much my point.

[Pitch]

On the forums, I usually try to post things that at least have some content. One of the things I nixed pretty much said this.

Most TKers act like a pack of wild 4chan rejects.

I agree, save for the "rejects" bit. 4chan can have rejects!?

[1337]

There's no such thing as trolls. Just idiots who think people are trolling because they're stupid and people who are stupid and call themselves trolls because they're giant douche bags.


Also, why is this thread in the politika? It has a reason to be here. But wolfderp was too stupid to actually address the possible policy on "trolling" in terms of the AUP in order to make this thread not retardedly out of place.
 

I did not feel like trying to officially change the rules.

As if you have any sway over what the moderators do. No one said you should change the rules and no one said you could change the rules you asstard. This section of the forum is to DISCUSS the rules or otherwise relevant ongoings of the webchat's management usually in regards of the AUP.

I doubt I could, severely doubt, but your just nitpicking to be an assclown lol.

Which neither makes you less wrong or retarded.

[Inquisitor]

On the forums, I usually try to post things that at least have some content. One of the things I nixed pretty much said this.

Most TKers act like a pack of wild 4chan rejects.

I've been saying this for years

[Kade]

The worst of TK really aren't all that bad. Ya'll are spoiled, but you don't even know it.

[Levistus]

[Devin`Asures]

The worst of TK really aren't all that bad. Ya'll are spoiled, but you don't even know it.

I've seen you call TKers "spoiled" before, Kade, and I think it's the wrong adjective. I'd call them "sheltered", and you're right, they don't know it.

But as to the topic at hand, I think people here aren't "trolls". They're stupid and mean and assholish (no wonder newcomers to TK don't stick around), but they're not trolls. Someone mentioned pointing out stupid (I think it was Draco). That's not trolling either. Belittling people is also not trolling.

In my definition, a troll is someone whose purpose is to actively derail something with outrageous actions, statements, or things that are just plain absurd. They do it for entertainment and attention. Maybe sometimes out of malice.

I once had someone accuse me of trolling them when I was only asking questions and giving advice on the predicament of theirs that they came to talk to the people in my room about. On TK, it seems like anyone who isn't 100% nice to you or doesn't automatically believe what you say is a troll. ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IS A TROLL.

[Auvic]

STOP DISLIKING THE THINGS I LIKE

Boo hiss, where's that spoiler tag when I want it :<

[Kade]

Sheltered works. *nods*

[1337]

ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IS A TROLL.

Frown-Chan does this constantly.

[Auvic]

Has she said that people were 'trolling' her by disagreeing, 1337?

I know she has claimed that people that disagreed with her were harassing her, disagreeing solely because someone else did, or being close-minded about something or another, but I can't remember her saying that they were trolling.

/headscratch
Well, maybe she has. I wouldn't be terribly surprised, I just can't recall any instances off the top of my head. Hum.

[WP]

I have heard many folks blame the bnetters for the "influx" of assholery, I think thats personally unfair to put EVERYTHING on the bnetters but its not a matter of being 'sheltered" or "spoiled" because in case you havent noticed theirs hardly anything "sheltered" about TK from an internet standpoint, and I can see why some folks think that about the bnetters. You are also right that pointing out things isnt trolling, but most folks on here seem to think it is, which is part of my original point. Then theirs the "backtrolled" regardless what really gets me is the way people use semantics on here. IRL when you have a conversation with someone do you actively analyze every single little thing they say searching for a way to twist their meaning? (If you do you probably dont have many friends irl. And then justify it by saying they cant handle your intelligence when in truth its just obnoxious) So maybe "trolling" isnt the best way to describe it (I'm just going by what others call it.) but if nothing else its pretty retarded, and the self-delusions of the people who do it are annoying cause of how short-sighted, self assured, and utterly oblivious they are. It wouldnt be so bad, but you cant even mention one little thing (and not just me.) without people over-analyzing it, abusing semantics, or "pointing things out". an example.

Player 1: *walks in.* "Hmmm I dont like this new videogame."


Player 2: "umad?"

Player 1: "What do I have to be mad about?"

Player 3: "He so mad lol"

player 2: "He just mad cause its the best game ever and if you dont like it you are without a doubt a retard and a faggot."


Who REALLY thinks like that? : /

sure its nonsense and probably only half serious most of the time but its like dealing with middle schoolers constantly. If you're gonna be an asshole at least have a good reason. Even if it IS the internet and we dont NEED good reasons, it reflects badly on everyone. Just because you CAN act like a dumbass doesnt mean you HAVE too.

[Pink]

[KitDreamer]

Player 1: *walks in.* "Hmmm I dont like this new videogame."


Player 2: "umad?"

Player 1: "What do I have to be mad about?"

Player 3: "He so mad lol"

player 2: "He just mad cause its the best game ever and if you dont like it you are without a doubt a retard and a faggot."


Who REALLY thinks like that? : /

sure its nonsense and probably only half serious most of the time but its like dealing with middle schoolers constantly. If you're gonna be an asshole at least have a good reason. Even if it IS the internet and we dont NEED good reasons, it reflects badly on everyone. Just because you CAN act like a dumbass doesnt mean you HAVE too.

lol, u mad.

[Devin`Asures]

U MAD BRA?

To discuss something seriously though, I don't think it's the influx on b.netters alone who have contributed to the "trolling". In fact, most of the "trolling" I've experienced here comes from 'native' TKers.
To be fair though, a lot of former b.netters are trollish (and downright annoying), but this links back into the "sheltered" that I have of TKer's.

because in case you havent noticed theirs hardly anything "sheltered" about TK from an internet standpoint

There's everything sheltered about TK from an internet standpoint. The biggest examples that spring to mind are that TK has Admins, Moderators, and an AUP.  Since b.net had none of these things to govern its RP community (b.net was for Blizzard games and had user agreements that covered those, but not what went on in chat, and you just about never saw a Blizzard admin outside of the tech support channel--and even then they were only there during certain hours), you might be able to understand why a b.netter may view TK as "sheltered". No one on b.net got perma-banned for trolling or being mean to others, or posting the RL information of another user.
You could have your CD key banned, but that was only if you did things like hacking the games. and I think it was done by an automated system.

So, the way these b.netters are acting, the same way that's pissing the TKers off? That's standard fare on b.net. Things might be different now, but that's how it was when I RPed there ...holy crap 4 years ago! Has it been that long? Wow.
If I'm not wrong, then people like Frown-chan and Manjio are former b.netters who I used to know. Kade's someone I know from b.net as well.

I've always thought there was a bit of an RP/internet culture clash between the people who migrated from b.net and the people who were already on TK. Maybe it's exacerbated by the "them and us" mentality that I acknowledge I'm perpetuating with much of this post.
I've been on TK for 4 years now, and I still don't feel like "I'm from TK".

[WP]

See the thing i've been noticing from the bnetters in this particular thread is that their mentality seems to be.

"Get over it." Which has incidentally become another overused catch-phrase on here but thats neither here nor there. Like I said its not fair to put all the blame on bnet, not fair at all when so many natives are just as bad, but the overall message im getting is that you guys think it should be more like bnet and that people on TK are sheltered and spoiled because we have admins and an AUP. (Even though people are ALWAYS bitching about them as if they are the worst thing in the world.)

All in all the message im getting is that you guys (bnetters) think TK should be more like bnet. Which may be fine for you, but not for everyone else.

[Devin`Asures]

That's not the message I'm trying to convey at all, WP. I've always said that compared to b.net, TK is paradise. I like the AUP and the active presence of moderators. The message I am trying to put out there though is that "native TKers" are thin skinned as a result of their AUP and mods. They seem to get upset about things a b.netter wouldn't bat an eyelash over.

Don't get me wrong. I like TK and the majority of its users, but then again, I'm not someone who considers themselves a troll, and I try to contribute to the community rather than tear it down and upset its users.

I don't think that TK should be more like b.net (The AUP protects the users from the horrible cyber bullying I saw on b.net, and the mods enforce it), but I do think users, both TKers and b.netters, need to stop being such crybabies over a few "u mad" comments and people picking on each other for petty disagreements like liking different things.

What I think is worth getting upset over, TK is protected from, and I'm so grateful for that.

For example, a girl I knew on b.net once had someone cyber bully her by making a website with an explicit pornographic image on it claiming to be her, the girl's the phone number (he was an ex of her's) plus a derogatory message, and then linking to it in the profile of a bot he set up in the b.net equivalent of the OOC lobby. This bot spammed the link and a message every x amount of minutes. The victim later told me that she had to unplug her phone because of all the crank calls. This would never happen on TK. I've seen the AUP in effect protecting a user from something simliar, and the effect was instant. The offending party was prema-banned on the spot, whereas the b.net bully got away scot free and continued his cyber bullying for hours due to there being no rules or moderators.
Another example was a different cyber bully finding another user's personal info on Myspace or something through knowing their email address, and then posting the pictures of this woman and her daughter with derogatory comments all because he didn't like the woman and thought she was stupid. This bully also was not banned or punished.

On TK, that Micha3l guy photoshopped a dick in the mouth of another user and got a ban for it. THEN he made a thread protesting this ban. The fact that he was able to protest at all amazed me. Some other guy allegedly got banned for having in a link to his photobucket which also contained child porn or something. I saw a log in someone's profile where they were able to get someone looking for child porn cyber rape banned...

So don't change these things, TK, and WP? Maybe being "sheltered" is a good thing considering the things you're sheltered from on TK. When an ex-b.netter tells you to "get over it", it's because we're used to dealing with bigger and meaner things.

[WP]

So basically "If a b-netter says to get over something, listen cause we have dealt with 'worse' things, and we from da ghetto yall." (btw people have had similar things happen on TK that you described.) disregarding how self-assured that sounds I think my mesage has been misconstrued...


I dont give a crap about "cyber-bullying" I dont give a crap about being called stupid, etc etc etc. (Though im sure some smartass will quote this and go "lul yet you made a thread." but the message im really trying to convey is that its all just so retarded, and I want to know why more and more people are being so petty as time goes on? Im just trying to point out that their is no reason for half the drama that happens here, and im trying to convey how childish it looks, and I also wanna know why so many people in glass houses throw stones. I have no delusions people will listen I just wanted to put that out there.

[Pitch]

....Do Bnetters honestly believe they are war vets and refugees in a sea of suburbanites? Because a lot of TKers came from "tough shit Hardcastle McCormick" chats before they came here, too.

Just to point out. There was no great war at Bnet. No huge uproar, no real big difference from that chat to this one save for a lack of moderation and from what I hear-- simple doo-daa respect for the next player. If I am wrong, correct.

Why is this so revered? I've been in chats like that before, too. And it was a turn off, mostly. Certainly wasn't a whole lot of RP going on either. Oh, and the player base is mostly the same as well. Rp in a sea of Anthro invasion and yiffing.

Just dropping my two cents on the whole Good Ol' Days of Bnet Lore versus current TK thing. It's baffling. I hear it brought up so much as if to say "We're from DA RP HOOD". I dont even think it really factors in to this conversation as most Bnet vets will say, quick as a flash in a frying pan-- that Bnet sucked. Mostly due to trolls.

...Really?

[Soja]

Bitches, I was here when TK was an unmoderated chat as well. What of it?

TK didn't even have a codified AUP and actual policing staff until 2002. We supposedly had the magistrates, but they did shit-all since the chat at the time didn't have such silly things as moderator powers.

So I guess TK is a bit of a biodome garden now because of the staff. Then again a lot of the staff were part of the memberbase in those unmoderated days, so they know for sure exactly what kind of environment they want to foster because it's the kind of environment they wish they had. Mostly, that involves dealing with the spammers and the truly terrible people that come in and say things like, "Horny 18f looking for hot guy to roleplay with. :)".

But the ribbing and joking has always been around. Ultimately it was expected that you would have a tough enough skin to take some jokes and that you would return the favor in one way or another. "u mad?" spammers are obnoxious but really the least concern in terms of asshats on TK's hitlist.

[Devin`Asures]

....Do Bnetters honestly believe they are war vets and refugees in a sea of suburbanites? Because a lot of TKers came from "tough shit Hardcastle McCormick" chats before they came here, too.

Just to point out. There was no great war at Bnet. No huge uproar, no real big difference from that chat to this one save for a lack of moderation and from what I hear-- simple doo-daa respect for the next player. If I am wrong, correct.

Why is this so revered? I've been in chats like that before, too. And it was a turn off, mostly. Certainly wasn't a whole lot of RP going on either. Oh, and the player base is mostly the same as well. Rp in a sea of Anthro invasion and yiffing.

Just dropping my two cents on the whole Good Ol' Days of Bnet Lore versus current TK thing. It's baffling. I hear it brought up so much as if to say "We're from DA RP HOOD". I dont even think it really factors in to this conversation as most Bnet vets will say, quick as a flash in a frying pan-- that Bnet sucked. Mostly due to trolls.

...Really?

Lol yes! I do feel like I came from a "Hardcastle McCormick" chat!! And yes, b.net sucked, but it did have its benefits. I feel there was a difference on b.net regarding the RP. So far I've only mentioned the cyber bullying, and yeah, people probably think I'm trying to be all hardass and "better than you", but that's seriously not why I'm posting.
I feel the biggest difference between TK and b.net other than the sheltered thing is the actual RP. It was good when I began there (insert good old days rant), and people were strongly encouraged to get better if they sucked as an RPer. By strongly encouraged, I mean trolled, mocked, or on the odd occasion, helped. If you sucked at RP, you HAD to get better or else no one would play with you. On TK, I've seen some pretty horrible players run around willy nilly, and it shocks me. It's like they're clueless as to how bad they are, and they're let into "decent" RPs and allowed to play alongside the good players and everyone's nice to them and just seems to ignore the fact that they're playing with a Mary-Sue porn star attention whore who can't post for shit or thinks they can post and ends up raping a thesaurus.
Most b.netters will say it sucked, but lots of us have the mentality that it also made us tough and forced us to become better at RP, which is why that sense of reverence might exist. B.net was a single community. There were no different "RPs" like you find on TK. If you sucked, you couldn't just go find another RP because there was none so it was sink or swim most of the time.

I do conceede that these things must happen in other chats on the internet, but comparing TK to b.net is no contest for who wins the "horrible things happen" medal.
There was no "war" on b.net, no. There's no war anywhere on the internet in RP chats as far as I'm concerned, but to say there's no big difference between TK and b.net is naieve.

(btw people have had similar things happen on TK that you described.)

Yes, I'm sure similar instances of what I described have happened on TK, but the offenders were banned and the userbases protected because of the rules and moderators. On b.net, that didn't ever happen.

Anyway I totally get that this TK/b.net thing isn't relevant. WP just brought up b.netters and I thought I'd talk about that.
So about the so-called trolling on TK? Get over it.

[WP]

Like I said, I am over it, I just wanted to point out how retarded it is, maybe even see if theres an excuse for it, I guess the excuses are pretty much what I was expecting. So basically no one has thought "Hey maybe I am being a bit childish." or "Maybe all this retardation is pointless and makes TK less enjoyable" but no dice. At the very least I would think that people would aknowledge its become more about "trolling" (and I use the term VERY loosely) than actual RP. TK was never a utopia, but wtf is this shit? lol.

btw I would also like to point out that people have totally missed the point of this thread. (insert anti-thread gif plox) As usual the actual point is disregarded and people project their own interpretations of what im trying to say, or my reasoning for saying it, thats another issue and perhaps related to this problem as I see it. My skins thick enough but it shouldnt have to be, people need to stop acting like middle schoolers, and realize they are in fact retarded.

[Pitch]

....Do Bnetters honestly believe they are war vets and refugees in a sea of suburbanites? Because a lot of TKers came from "tough shit Hardcastle McCormick" chats before they came here, too.

Just to point out. There was no great war at Bnet. No huge uproar, no real big difference from that chat to this one save for a lack of moderation and from what I hear-- simple doo-daa respect for the next player. If I am wrong, correct.

Why is this so revered? I've been in chats like that before, too. And it was a turn off, mostly. Certainly wasn't a whole lot of RP going on either. Oh, and the player base is mostly the same as well. Rp in a sea of Anthro invasion and yiffing.

Just dropping my two cents on the whole Good Ol' Days of Bnet Lore versus current TK thing. It's baffling. I hear it brought up so much as if to say "We're from DA RP HOOD". I dont even think it really factors in to this conversation as most Bnet vets will say, quick as a flash in a frying pan-- that Bnet sucked. Mostly due to trolls.

...Really?

Lol yes! I do feel like I came from a "Hardcastle McCormick" chat!! And yes, b.net sucked, but it did have its benefits. I feel there was a difference on b.net regarding the RP. So far I've only mentioned the cyber bullying, and yeah, people probably think I'm trying to be all hardass and "better than you", but that's seriously not why I'm posting.
I feel the biggest difference between TK and b.net other than the sheltered thing is the actual RP. It was good when I began there (insert good old days rant), and people were strongly encouraged to get better if they sucked as an RPer. By strongly encouraged, I mean trolled, mocked, or on the odd occasion, helped. If you sucked at RP, you HAD to get better or else no one would play with you. On TK, I've seen some pretty horrible players run around willy nilly, and it shocks me. It's like they're clueless as to how bad they are, and they're let into "decent" RPs and allowed to play alongside the good players and everyone's nice to them and just seems to ignore the fact that they're playing with a Mary-Sue porn star attention whore who can't post for shit or thinks they can post and ends up raping a thesaurus.
Most b.netters will say it sucked, but lots of us have the mentality that it also made us tough and forced us to become better at RP, which is why that sense of reverence might exist. B.net was a single community. There were no different "RPs" like you find on TK. If you sucked, you couldn't just go find another RP because there was none so it was sink or swim most of the time.

I do conceede that these things must happen in other chats on the internet, but comparing TK to b.net is no contest for who wins the "horrible things happen" medal.
There was no "war" on b.net, no. There's no war anywhere on the internet in RP chats as far as I'm concerned, but to say there's no big difference between TK and b.net is naieve.

(btw people have had similar things happen on TK that you described.)

Yes, I'm sure similar instances of what I described have happened on TK, but the offenders were banned and the userbases protected because of the rules and moderators. On b.net, that didn't ever happen.

Anyway I totally get that this TK/b.net thing isn't relevant. WP just brought up b.netters and I thought I'd talk about that.
So about the so-called trolling on TK? Get over it.

There are a lot of things that happen on a lot of chats that would shock you. And as Soja said, some of us were here when TK was unmoderated as hell. Including myself...and with the way you describe Bnet? Sounds a lot like how it was here. And on the other chats I was on.

So, I'm gonna have to disagree with my observation being "naive". I'm sensing the flavor Bnetters give forth about how their chat used to be and how it made the cream of the crop rise to the top above all the shitty people and etc, etc...and it's not something that's a new concept to many veteran TKers. All I'm saying is hearing about Bnet in that whole " BITCH I'M FROM DA eSTREETZ" way kind of starts to get the old gears grinding wrong after a while.

No offense to Bnet vets, by the way.

[Devin`Asures]

....Do Bnetters honestly believe they are war vets and refugees in a sea of suburbanites? Because a lot of TKers came from "tough shit Hardcastle McCormick" chats before they came here, too.

Just to point out. There was no great war at Bnet. No huge uproar, no real big difference from that chat to this one save for a lack of moderation and from what I hear-- simple doo-daa respect for the next player. If I am wrong, correct.

Why is this so revered? I've been in chats like that before, too. And it was a turn off, mostly. Certainly wasn't a whole lot of RP going on either. Oh, and the player base is mostly the same as well. Rp in a sea of Anthro invasion and yiffing.

Just dropping my two cents on the whole Good Ol' Days of Bnet Lore versus current TK thing. It's baffling. I hear it brought up so much as if to say "We're from DA RP HOOD". I dont even think it really factors in to this conversation as most Bnet vets will say, quick as a flash in a frying pan-- that Bnet sucked. Mostly due to trolls.

...Really?

Lol yes! I do feel like I came from a "Hardcastle McCormick" chat!! And yes, b.net sucked, but it did have its benefits. I feel there was a difference on b.net regarding the RP. So far I've only mentioned the cyber bullying, and yeah, people probably think I'm trying to be all hardass and "better than you", but that's seriously not why I'm posting.
I feel the biggest difference between TK and b.net other than the sheltered thing is the actual RP. It was good when I began there (insert good old days rant), and people were strongly encouraged to get better if they sucked as an RPer. By strongly encouraged, I mean trolled, mocked, or on the odd occasion, helped. If you sucked at RP, you HAD to get better or else no one would play with you. On TK, I've seen some pretty horrible players run around willy nilly, and it shocks me. It's like they're clueless as to how bad they are, and they're let into "decent" RPs and allowed to play alongside the good players and everyone's nice to them and just seems to ignore the fact that they're playing with a Mary-Sue porn star attention whore who can't post for shit or thinks they can post and ends up raping a thesaurus.
Most b.netters will say it sucked, but lots of us have the mentality that it also made us tough and forced us to become better at RP, which is why that sense of reverence might exist. B.net was a single community. There were no different "RPs" like you find on TK. If you sucked, you couldn't just go find another RP because there was none so it was sink or swim most of the time.

I do conceede that these things must happen in other chats on the internet, but comparing TK to b.net is no contest for who wins the "horrible things happen" medal.
There was no "war" on b.net, no. There's no war anywhere on the internet in RP chats as far as I'm concerned, but to say there's no big difference between TK and b.net is naieve.

(btw people have had similar things happen on TK that you described.)

Yes, I'm sure similar instances of what I described have happened on TK, but the offenders were banned and the userbases protected because of the rules and moderators. On b.net, that didn't ever happen.

Anyway I totally get that this TK/b.net thing isn't relevant. WP just brought up b.netters and I thought I'd talk about that.
So about the so-called trolling on TK? Get over it.

There are a lot of things that happen on a lot of chats that would shock you. And as Soja said, some of us were here when TK was unmoderated as hell. Including myself...and with the way you describe Bnet? Sounds a lot like how it was here. And on the other chats I was on.

So, I'm gonna have to disagree with my observation being "naive". I'm sensing the flavor Bnetters give forth about how their chat used to be and how it made the cream of the crop rise to the top above all the shitty people and etc, etc...and it's not something that's a new concept to many veteran TKers. All I'm saying is hearing about Bnet in that whole " BITCH I'M FROM DA eSTREETZ" way kind of starts to get the old gears grinding wrong after a while.

No offense to Bnet vets, by the way.

No offense taken, Pitcheh. I realise that it's crazy annoying to have players from other chats come in and be all "I'm FROM THE eSTREETZ" as you put it. Talking about this with you made me remember that on b.net, there was a player who came from a place they called Prodigy, and they were always "zomg it was 1337 and awesome and b.net is lame in comparison". We all used to roll our eyes at them, so I'd be stupid to think the b.net thing doesn't piss people off. Imma tone it down.

BUT SRS RESPONSE TO THREAD TOPIC TOO!
Honestly, I don't see a lot of this "trolling" going on. Maybe it's because I don't hang out in the right (or wrong) places, or what WP sees as trolling, I don't consider the same. People are stupid and retarded on the internet, and they love drama because it's entertaining most of the time.
All the examples I've seen so far in this thread aren't what I'd call trolling. Just people being stupid and regurgitating internet memes, which isn't surprising, since y'know, this is the internet.
Perhaps you need to give a clearer explanation and more examples of what you feel the problem is before people will respond to it, WP.

[1337]

Has she said that people were 'trolling' her by disagreeing, 1337?

I know she has claimed that people that disagreed with her were harassing her, disagreeing solely because someone else did, or being close-minded about something or another, but I can't remember her saying that they were trolling.

/headscratch
Well, maybe she has. I wouldn't be terribly surprised, I just can't recall any instances off the top of my head. Hum.

I'd really like everyone to just take a good look at the shit that I've had to put up with in this thread, when in all reality I've been as courteous as I can be while still maintaining some semblance of personal dignity. I've been berated by the same people who posted in the thread I had to remove due to flaming, and have been trying extremely hard to present my case in every post, while the very valid points I've made have gone completely unheeded. If this is the treatment that awaits anyone who has any problems with the mods, I'm going to suggest that the "Obudsmen" simply direct everyone to PMing Web-J, as that is the only solution when threads like these get drowned out by trolls like 1337, flamers like Tony, and the very people being complained about, like Familiar.

She called me a troll because I disagreed with her and then called her out on being an uppity twat for cussing me out (while at the same time calling me immature hypocritically enough).

I'm not a troll. I'm just a douche. She's done this very same shit in-chat a few times too. Cussing people out when they disagree with her and then calling them immature trolls and that she's done nothing but tried to make serious points, etc...