I was reading in a forum dedicated to Canadian FX brokers when I came across this. Who could believe that the author did not have zEvader in mind when he wrote it? It is a step by step illustration of the troll's tactics. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1146866#post1146866 of course, nothing will ever beat this masterpiece http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=988742&highlight=troll+zoologists#post988742 ---------------------------------------------------------------- You can often spot posters worth ignoring via one or more of the following classical crank attributes: Righteousness They are unwilling to be mistaken. They never acknowledge error, even on trivial matters. Even when presented with literal quotes from their own earlier postings, about the most you will get is a non-denial denial that they wrote it. Evasion Despite their incredible volumes of postings, they never seem to have time to respond to pointed remarks that expose flaws in their arguments. When they quote from on-target articles, they only copy irrelevant text. Changing the topic (misdirection) is a mainstay of their technique. Blathering Argument by repetition, unsupported claim, context-dropping and spin-doctoring: They rely on "facts" not in evidence and never seem to have time to post in-context references that might support their conclusions. Anything quoted is out of context, and may not even be from a discussion on the same topic. They stubbornly assume that their interpretation is the only correct one. Double Standards They threaten others whose articles are actually less offensive than their own. Libel Their articles often contain actionable material. Amnesia They are incapable of remembering their past errors and lies, much less adjusting their behavior to avoid repeating previous outrages. Hostility They indirectly acknowledge the weakness of their position by resorting to all the normal underhanded tricks of incompetent debaters, plus copious volumes of ad hominem; from simple name-calling to sophomoric psychological judgementalism. Idiolectic Just because it looks like English, don't assume it is, depending on how you define "is". Obsessed and Disconnected After you've been reading their stuff for a while, you begin to realize that they seem to be driven by some central theme, but are writing in what is ultimately just a /simulation/ of a human language. It looks vaguely familiar on the surface, but is not firmly connected to reality, much less the topic at hand. Expletives Their command of their language is so weak, and the intellectual content of their prose is so vacuous, that they have to "punch it up" with words intended to mock, provoke, shock and/or hurt. Without those words, they'd have a great deal less to say. Cluelessness They are fully capable of reading all of the above, and failing to recognize that they meet most or all of these criteria.
Thanx! FYI, I recently made the mistake of posting the link to Trolling 101, <b>version 1.0</b>. The updated version is better, since it includes the key section on <b>winning by losing.</b> The rest of it is identical to version 1.0.