Trolling The Internet (satire)

Over the years, I have observed people online, mainly by trolling, and have found that the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that ignorance depends on the person's will while stupidity is bereft of it.

For example, an ignorant person can have a master's degree but be a right wing racist who has authored a lot of opinions to prove that a person's intelligence is determined by his race. However, a stupid person will use the ignorant author's words to bully anyone he thinks beneath him, regardless of color.

When caught, the ignorant will behave righteously but the stupid will utter threats until he is called out. Then they'll move on to easier pickings.

In the end, you shall realize you have been trolled if you ever took their bait.

Yet the intelligent of people will never reveal their biases and prejudices so candidly because the Internet appears to attract narcissists who desire attention (the more selfish of the trolls), empaths (the idolaters of trolls of all stripes), sociopaths of varying degrees of failure and success, and everyone else who display varying shades of normality.

Therefore, it is difficult to categorize people based on what they disclose online, since their candidness and subsequent ability to remain truthful is dependent on our ability to separate fiction from fact while dispelling rumors.

Yet the more intelligent the person, the more likely he may either be a successful sociopath or be merely an adorable eccentric. However, these labels of empath, narcissist and sociopath are not diagnoses but are descriptions of Internet personalities based on what each and everyone on the Internet have said and/or written.

Even so, I do not base my descriptions on chance conversations in an Internet community on Googleplus, except to test the waters. That is what a troll is: the online analog of a depth charge designed to stun your followers until someone who might be worthy of dialog comes along to troll me back!

Thus, I tend to believe that, regardless of whether they are aware of it or not, most people on Google Plus might troll out of ignorance, just to test the waters but most likely to reassure themselves according to their intelligence.

Think of the empath as little fish, the narcissist as tuna who subsist on the empaths' adulation, and sociopaths as the shark who only pick off the little fish but cull the narcissists when they get too full of themselves. Think of the sociopath as the fisher throwing depth charges to bring to the surface the (re)action of people, depending on their level of intelligence.

Then, when you find someone as intelligent as you, try not to project your empathy, your narcissism or your sociopathy on that person lest you scare them away.

For s/he probably is as intelligent as you, intelligent enough not to be deliberately ignorant and certainly not as stupid as you would like to think.


Why do you think s/he is here? Except to be entertained by the little fishies of the Internet and to make friends with the other big fish in this microcosm of the world we live in, wherever that may be.

Enjoy trolling, but remember: the Internet is not solely a catch and carry feeding ground. It is a little catch and release pond. The more you release, the more you get to troll.

What I Learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Twilight Series (satire)

People turn into monsters when they don't get what they want, or if they are jealous of others. The monsters of Pleasantville are vampires, werewolves and other supernatural creatures, but represent boys and girls who act out of turn when their desires are thwarted or they become jealous.

The same goes for Twilight.

Boys who don't get what they want become monsters. Girls jealous of other girls become monsters.

Is it so hard to decipher?

I think not. Besides, my previous analogy that vampires are bisexual is totally wrong since it's not about sexuality. It's about power and control.

It is about sexual predators. It's about desire. This is what monsters mean to me.

YMMV

Controversy Makes People Look Dumb (satire)

If you want a real discussion but your topic is controversial Google Plus is not the venue because intelligent people will not discuss a controversial topic without picking sides, and sometimes using methods of argument that will soon bring the topic to a close, often within minutes.

It appears that controversial topics tend to lead people to pick sides, which is deadly to sustaining discussing a topic and determines its expiry date, be it almost immediately or a few days later.

Once a person picks sides, you can expect the discussion to heat up as long as both sides think they are right.

From my position as a fence-sitter, I eventually realize that both sides are right but tend to deviate from remaining calm and rational due to emotional investment in their cause. YMMV

Yet an intelligent arguer tries not to pick a side because doing so will blind you to the other side's position.

Even though it is natural to be biased, it is limits one's choices to pick a side.

It makes one ignorant of the other side of the argument, depending on how much you invest in defence of your position.

Dare I say, picking sides makes one look dumb.

I feel that this is why in political elections, there are people who will never vote mainly because they are too intelligent to be sucked in by propaganda.

For the emotional fallacies that propaganda uses to influence politics is obvious to the intelligent sheep in the wolf's clothing of critical thinking.

This is why a truly intelligent person will not pick sides in a discussion about a controversial topic, lest he become a wolf in sheep's clothing.

For there is danger in picking sides: you become a part of the pack (the pro or con group) rather than a part of humanity (both sides).

Once you are a part of a pack, it is tempting to lead it and become that wolf.

If anyone dares to question your authority, then you will lead sheep to slaughter to defend it whilst hiding behind pro or con.

This is why most intelligent people will walk away from a controversy.

For they have better things to do with their mind, like meditate.

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Originally published: August 25, 2013 6:27 AM