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FWIW, trolls don't uniquely focus on feminists. Their emotional buttons are just so easy to find and push; when your advocacy === your emotional button, then y

FWIW, trolls don't uniquely focus on feminists. Their emotional buttons are just so easy to find and push; when your advocacy === your emotional button, then you are broadcasting how to make you upset. If you are easily made upset, then you are self-primed for being trolled. So, if you don't like being trolled, then either hide your emotional buttons or change what happens when someone pushes those buttons. The fact that feminists appear to be uniquely targeted by trolls is indeed the result of a societal structure, but it is not unique to feminists. Instead, feminists are just another set of humans who are louder when they get upset. People used to complain about so-called Soccer Moms being too easy to upset. If you don't like the trolls, then don't feed them. I had thought that people had learned from the vi-vs-emacs flame wars how to avoid unproductive drama. Feminists spin their wheels by getting upset at trolls, just as vi users wasted their time getting mad when emacs users were not using vi.

CM30 11y ago
Pretty much this 100%. It's not being a feminist or female specifically that makes you a target, it's being seen to respond poorly to attacks and trolling. If it's not feminists, then its furries, or otherkin, or bronies, or fanboys, or whoever else is seen as an easy target that responds poorly to criticism. Ignore trolls, and they'll (eventually) ignore you. Keep responding and baiting them, and you're toast. Same thing goes if you run a community. Don't want trolls? Ban and move on. Don't turn it into a big dramatic deal and 'war on trolls'.
- scrupulusalbion 11y ago
  >Ban and move on. This might have mixed results. Some trolls see getting banned as proof of successful trolling, whereupon trolling via another account might still be an option. I think the users are the key to making trolls go away, because it is a social issue and not a mechanical issue. Put another way: you can't program away trolling, despite how fun XKCD's idea [0] might be to implement. [0] https://xkcd.com/810/ https://xkcd.com/810/

CM30 11y ago

Pretty much this 100%. It's not being a feminist or female specifically that makes you a target, it's being seen to respond poorly to attacks and trolling. If it's not feminists, then its furries, or otherkin, or bronies, or fanboys, or whoever else is seen as an easy target that responds poorly to criticism. Ignore trolls, and they'll (eventually) ignore you. Keep responding and baiting them, and you're toast. Same thing goes if you run a community. Don't want trolls? Ban and move on. Don't turn it into a big dramatic deal and 'war on trolls'.

scrupulusalbion 11y ago
>Ban and move on. This might have mixed results. Some trolls see getting banned as proof of successful trolling, whereupon trolling via another account might still be an option. I think the users are the key to making trolls go away, because it is a social issue and not a mechanical issue. Put another way: you can't program away trolling, despite how fun XKCD's idea [0] might be to implement. [0] https://xkcd.com/810/ https://xkcd.com/810/