well it looks like zzzzz has won, he now owns the "chit- chat" coffee clutchers section of ET,,,,,,,, he must feel like a true chumpion of the world LOL
I believe that by better understanding the troll psyche and modus oprendi, ET members can become highly resistant to the ravages of this ravenous disease- perhaps even immune. A team of dedicated troll zoologists has spent the past five years observing the troll in its natural habitat. Here are their findings: Trolling 101: If you happen to play poker, understand that professional trolls utilize a very similar strategy: Tight-aggressive <B>Tight:</b> Don't give the victim an inch! Never admit the possibility of ever having been wrong. Never say anything which can be remotely useful or helpful to anyone. Never provide the prey with a single word he may wish to hear. Give nothing! <b>Aggressive</b>: Focus! Your goal is not conversation or debate, but the exact opposite- nihilism. Mercy is merely a handicap of the weak. You are a disease with only one goal in mind: <b>writing whatever it takes to piss off the victim.</B> Contradict yourself all the time, repeat the victim's words verbatim like a bratty child, take the high road and repeatedly request that the victim stay on topic, post in every single thread and then accuse the victim of 'stalking' when he shows up in one of them, make ridiculous statements- but do it assertively and repeatedly, but most importantly: <b>Laugh when nothing is funny.</b> Laugh at the victim constantly, use smiley faces, and pretend to completely miss every single point he tries to make. Remember, looking like a complete idiot yourself is unavoidable if you wish to troll at the professional level. Another important trolling tip I learned by observing LoZZZer's work: The lioness does not indiscriminately launch an attack on every animal she wishes to eat. She stalks her prey, determining which specific individual antelope is weak, tired and slow. The expert troll must use this very approach, as not every post is worth trolling. ZTroll specifically waits for someone to discuss a topic which is of great personal importance to the prey. With an innate sense of unyielding discipline- a product of millions of years of painstaking troll evolution, ZTroll crouches in the brush, patiently waiting for an <b>emotional, dedicated post.</b> A post where the prey feels so strongly about a certain topic, he can't restrain his emotional enthusiasm when arguing his point. Any post of this sort in chit chat is guaranteed to spark a LoZZZer trolling effort. The predator will then deftly pounce upon its prey, pretending to laugh hysterically at the victim's strong willed, passionate assertions while distorting them in straw-man fashion. Eye on the prize, the creature will then tightly lock its fangs around the prey's neck, clinging tightly to the jugular while deftly wringing the life from its prey until the victim <i><b>cracks</i></b>- i.e., becomes highly frustrated and visibly redfaced. This in turn provides the troll with its well earned nourishment, as well as the creature's only source of sexual gratification: <b>Furious anger and anguish.</b> Thus, the circle of life continues.
A most accurate summary obviously gleaned from years of studying the rabid behavior of the LoZZZZer Troll. Well done.
I would hope that RM (or anyone else), using the same investigative powers, the same laser-like precision of mind and purpose, goes after the stalkers on ET. You know, the ones who incessantly follow-up posts of their prey, say things just to annoy, make continual personal attacks, never admit the possibility of ever having been wrong, never provide the prey with a single word he may wish to hear. Give nothing. Write whatever it takes to piss off the prey. Repeat the prey's words verbatim like a bratty child. Even, dare I say, start numerous threads in Feedback or Chit Chat specifically about the intended prey. Hmmm, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between trolling (the latest ET catchword) and good ole traditional stalking. Two sides of the same coin...
You know Magna, a few years ago hapaboy was the only one. To the bystander, it could really appear as if ZTroll was the true victim. Not anymore. LoZZZer's thirst for fresh blood has made the creature far too many enemies for your explanation to fit, and you know it. I've never shown a sliver of this level of hostility to anyone. I'm ex-Israeli military, while Wael is a Palestinian activist-yet we were civil, if not cordial to each other. The evidence is there for you. All you need to do is look.
RM, Much of what you say is true, but let's bottom-line it. Aside from the obvious solution recommended by many of just using the ignore feature, please try never to forget that this is an anonymous internet trading board. And Chit Chat especially is just not worth getting so worked up over, for any reason. I'm hard pressed to remember the last time someone actually changed someone elses mind there, so it's really just alot of tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (sincere apologies to Macbeth)
The ironic thing is that I first had a great deal of respect for ZZZzzz in his optional777 guise, because he seemed like a reasonable person willing to look at all sides of an issue. It wasn't until he began with the personal attacks that I decided to defend myself in kind. The final straw was when he wished the murder of my children at the hands of a sexual predator. He edited his post to make it appear far less hateful than it originally was, but I - and others - saw the original. Anyone who would state what he did is a total piece of contemptible shit. I've had numerous disagreements with a lot of people on this board, that have on occasion escalated to full-on flame wars, i.e. TraderNik and Rowenwood, and in many cases I've sent a PM and made peace with them and come to an understanding where we have agreed to disagree but be civil about it. Heck, I'll even go so far as to say that I admire many of those I've argued with and consider them to have great character. I've even offered peace to Zzzzz via PM. His response? Basically f**k off. No contrition, no admittance of any fault of his own. Zzzzz is here merely to argue. He doesn't want peace, he doesn't want to come to any understanding, he doesn't want to bother even with a "I disagree with your opinion, but I respect it" statement. With him it's all-out war, take no prisoners, he is right and those who disagree with him are wrong. Period. That Baron allows him to get away with what he does while using resinate to censure the hell out of his opponents isn't extraordinary. Zzzzz brings eyeballs to ET, which puts cachingo in Baron's pocket. So I can understand it, it's a business. But spare us the "you're as bad as ZZZzzz" prattle, okay Magna? I wouldn't wish the murder of any of my opponent's children, no matter how much I disagree with them. I certainly wouldn't wish that on Zzzzz's children - if he had any.
Magna, please check your premises. First off, ZTroll refused my truce offers on multiple occasions. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=780984&highlight=truce#post780984 Secondly, regarding your claim that chit chat is meaningless: I suffer from a life threatening medical condition. Over ten doctors and 23 different medications and supplements failed miserably. I independently came up with an elaborate theory and course of treatment which works pretty well for me. I was unaware that there had been any parallel scientific efforts to substantiate my theory, until I suddenly came across this, last October. I learned that all of my theories and claims had already been proven via the scientific method, in a clinical trial conducted at Harvard medical school. Not only that, but I found a deluge of personal stories from other patients with this identical medical condition, who have all reached the exact same conclusions as my own. Ignorance almost killed me, and I felt compelled to sacrifice my privacy and share potentially embarrassing personal medical details in an effort to spare others from the trip through hell and back that I had gone through. Therefore, I started this thread in chit chat. LoZZZer saw the thread as nothing but a prime trolling opportunity and lauched a tirade of abusive posts, while using the methods I outlined in my 'trolling 101' post here a few days ago. However, only a partial record of this exchange remains for you to read today. Resinate has deleted the troll's most blatant, vicious provocations while leaving in place my angry replies. From the portions of the thread currently remaining, it may look like I had disproportionately overreacted- a result of selective editing by resinate. The troll killed that thread, and I left ET in protest for a period of two weeks. The knowledge I have to share <b>saves lives</b>. A couple months ago a suicidal friend called me in tears in the middle of the night, and I talked him down from the proverbial ledge while suggesting the correct medication- something all the doctors he visited had failed to do. Suppressing this knowledge is an act of <b>pure sadism</b>, and of this ZTroll and his sidekick are guilty. Here is a more recent summary I've written, in layman's terms, in case this interests you. I ask that you check your premises, and only then decide if LoZZer's trolling is truly harmless and inconsequential.