The Groan is somewhat obsessed by trolls. Not that they seem to understand what a troll is, mind… Having a different opinion and voicing it forcefully is not trolling. Trolling is dipping into a conversation and stirring the pot to get a flame war going. Anyway, Kyrre Lien (who?) has been chasing down the “haters” in order to find out what makes them tick. It’s interesting for a number of reasons:
Lien initially researched 200 potential subjects. Half said no when he approached them.
Well, quite. Every time someone has approached me via this blog to take part in some documentary or other, I have always refused. The media will twist what you say and use editing to make you look bad and to boost their viewing figures. They are in the business of entertainment after all and if they can make you look stupid, then they will use every trick available to them to exaggerate or misrepresent your opinions. Unless you have had some sort of media training, they are best avoided – unless you like being made to look a fool on national television, in which case, be my guest.
The other interesting thing from my perspective is that those who did go along with being interviewed, while coming across as a bit odd (who isn’t?) they did not come across as “haters” and their views weren’t extreme at all. That they used colourful and forceful language to make their points isn’t something I consider a problem. I do it. For me, it’s a catharsis when faced with the daily bombardment of stupidity, mendacity and outright lies from the media and the state.
Online discussions often get out of hand and escalate to rich language and insults. Meh! So What? Why is Lien bothered by this? Why is the Guardian insistent that we all be polite all of the time? Robust language is sometimes necessary – especially when, as is often the case, you find you are dealing with people who misrepresent your argument and filter it through the lens of their own prejudices to build a strawman. And having been doing this blogging lark for the past thirteen years, I’ve collected enough of those to apply for a CAP subsidy. The strawman is probably the most common logical fallacy encountered during internet discussions. I’ve long since given up arguing with those who use it. I might, if feeling generous, point out to them that this is what they are doing; but if they still insist, then I have no time to engage with the terminally stupid. More often, though, I’ll simply write them off and ignore them, particularly if they are serial offenders.
But, then, I suspect that Kyrre Lien would look at the derision I have frequently expressed towards the likes of journalists and politicians and decide that I’m a hater…
Pah!
Good move on refusing to interview for the mainstream. They are not trustworthy. As for being a ‘hater’, only if you disagree with the chosen narrative. Otherwise you could brutally torture kittens in public and no-one in the press would say a thing because you hold the ‘correct’ opinions.