Debating a troll

Some trolls in Skypeland are desperate to stir up trouble. Skypeland is home to one prominent troll who has threatened me repeatedly, and is furious at me because I have refused to accept his outrageous unfounded conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic and anti-American claims. He bullied and bullied me and others and threatened repeatedly to kill me since I did not find his arguments compelling. Yeah, that is a really great way to win over your opponents, isn't it?

He even bragged that he is just a troll and frequents Skypeland only to disrupt discourse and cause hard feelings and disruption. He misquotes, illegally records others without their permission, is a huge rumor-monger and attempts to "out", embarrass and stalk others as part of his toolkit.

The standard and recommended response to a troll infestation is "Don't feed the troll".

I have been following this advice for a while now. Of course, given that I have declined to have any further verbal exchanges with this troll, he has become increasingly irritated. He claims I am "boring" and a "pussy" because I have decided not to have any further discussions with him. He is frantic to connect with me and to "debate" me, and continually challenges me to do so.

However, this troll already had many many many chances to "debate" me. However, he has wasted all his chances. His debating techniques are highly suspect and consist of several "tricks":

(1) This troll never answers any questions, but relies on the standard polemical technique of changing the topic when the conversation gets uncomfortable for him, or the subject of the discussion is veering in a direction he finds unfavorable.

(2) A secondary tactic is to lob personal attacks when all else fails, and the troll is only too glad to do that as well in a sort of low-brow, poor man's demagogic approach.

(3) Another strategy employed by this troll is to claim he has an incredible personal resume; youngest ever UN representative, head of the Chernobyl inspection team, war hero, jet aircraft mechanic, multilingual genius, licensed ship captain and aircraft pilot, fish farmer, fur trader, multimillionaire businessman, and so on. Based on this purported record of achievement, he claims that everything he states should be accepted by everyone without question, or verifying some of the ridiculous statements he makes. When inconsistencies and inaccuracies in his personal vita are unveiled, undermining his putative authority to dictate to others, he flies into a rage.

(4) A more desperate maneuver he employs is to chant "shut the fuck up shut the fuck up shut the fuck up shut the fuck up..." over and over and over to drown out anyone he does not want to hear, like a baby throwing a tantrum.

(5) Finally he threatens those he is confronting if he cannot make progress any other way. He threatens to "out", "stalk", embarrass, humiliate, sue, physically beat or even kill those he disagrees with.

If anyone else gives this troll a taste of his own medicine however, he complains and whines and bitches and whinges and protests and gripes and groans and grumbles. He claims it is unfair if anyone treats him the same way he treats others. While he constantly challenges others and calls them names, he has one of the most fragile egos I have ever seen, sobbing, wailing, sniveling, bellyaching and carping if someone does something he objects to. If anyone questions his statements, or his vaunted personal record that he brags about, he gets extremely defensive and takes it as some sort of affront.

Today he tried again to goad me into "debating" him by "baiting" me with the allegation that I do not know the English language very well:

Oh X, learn to speak

Submitted by A (not verified) on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 09:54.

Oh X, learn to speak english, fix your shitty mic and take it to the room.

If I get all out of line, I'll get booted huh.

Yes that is right. I have no facility with the English language, compared to this multilingual and learned "genius". Let's take a look at some examples of his dexterity with the English language in a formal letter asking for assistance:

*Your unique insight to the problems these countries are facing could be of great aid the economic reformers tasked with the immense responsibilities of converting the Soviet machine into the freemarket players they need to be. So what is this supposed to mean? Care for a clumsy run-on sentence anyone? Maybe missing the word "to" at a critical location?

*You asked for more information about our organization, I will try to give you some background as to how we came about. Gee, he really knows how to punctuate properly, doesn't he? Yes he is a genius alright.

*During my time here I meet many other Americans that had come here to carry out some kind of mission, some were of a business nature and others of a non-profit nature such as humanitarian aid or to provide lectures, generally things of this nature. Nice to know you like the word "nature" a lot. This again is awkward and poorly punctuated. It would be better as at least 3 sentences rather than one long run-on sentence.

*As I saw more and more of this, and myself became a more seasoned as to the realities of life here, I began to notice that many of these people where not what they were said to be. Ever hear of the difference between "where" and "were"? And if this sentence does not scream "illiterate moron", I don't know what does.

*I became disgusted with touristic humanitarian aid and pirates of American educational funding. What is "touristic" humanitarian aid? Who are the "pirates" of American educational funding? What on earth does that even mean?

*Things like medicine, clothing in children's sizes, many forms of education (from STDs to Marketing), Quite frankly do not even exist. Punctuation is not a strong suit I notice.

And this is all in the first couple of paragraphs. The letter goes on and on, with one infelicity after another, each one more comical and stupid than the last.

Yes this troll sure has me pegged. He knows English a lot better than I do, for sure.