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Editorial Trolling

Am I a troll?

It was December 2010, and my plans were anything but simple: Grab the world by the horns, pull up my bootstraps, and make some kind of artistic statement that just might possibly quell my existential butthurt. That is, until Anonymous once again reared its head. I became obsessed! Here was some kind of mysterious cyberentity speaking truth to power, and that’s exactly the kind of thing I love.

In early January, I logged into AnonOps with the intention of confronting Anonymous about their use of imagery. For a group of “activists,” I felt it was a little bit on the threatening side and pointlessly destructive to their cause. As an artist, I wanted to help! However, I quickly found out this topic was taboo, and that discussion among this “collective” was strictly controlled, if not by a single individual, then by a loose-knit group of channel operators. Speaking about the wrong thing will get a person labeled a troll right quick, and trolls get banned.

Well, to hell with IRC.  There were other places I could take this discussion, such as AnonNews and later Twitter. I could make it outrageous, viral, and rub their face in their own shit while they cried “I don’t smell a thing!” Hell, I had my own sad little satire blog to soapbox from, so why not use it? I embraced my role as a “troll,” and in many ways it was empowering. But I was not just playing a game of revenge, pissing off Anonymous in reprisal for their rejection. I was provoking discussion. Anons often said that infighting made them strong, but they still hated me and considered me a “shit-stirrer” and a “troll.” Like I cared.

I spent a truly TransHuman amount of time on the computer at this point, completely isolated myself from “reality,” and ultimately paid a horrible price. It cost me sanity, the trust of my friends, and my job. I picked up the pieces and put them back together, and I at least feel like a more mature person for it.

My “trolling” has earned a hesitant acceptance from many Anons, and maybe some of them finally “get it.” Maybe my history of writing viral “joke” press releases which accidentally turned out to be gems of “truth,” has even earned some respect. I’m not in this to “win” or “get one over” on anybody, except of course for Sabu and Barrett Brown. I want to sacrifice all the sacred cows and brazenly violate taboo. Ask the forbidden questions, generate discussion, and of course snag a lucrative book deal where I will tell all. This does not mean that I am just engaged in bullshit will to power. Do these interactions—deliberate provocation and ironic anti-propagandizing—make me a troll?

14 replies on “Am I a troll?”

I’d love to see you debate Biella on a panel discussion along some of those prosuck faggots thrown in for a side show….

Healthy disagreement, debate, leading to compromise has always been the American way.
~Donald L. Carcieri

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.
~Mahatma Gandhi

Unfortunately, our history has abundant examples of patriotism being used to hurt those who express views in disagreement with that of the majority.~Vic Snyder

On an more relevant note, this is the fourth time this article has been written. Hey Kilgoar, take the proper dosage of your meds, or just stop taking them. This kind of mindless dribble is the exact thing contributing to the rapid degradation of American intelligence.

I’ll do it until it’s funny because it’s not even funny anymore. Also, I’ll do it just to piss you off. Not only that, but who’s more bored? The person “bored” enough to write this “parody self-effacing/aggrandizing drivel/’dribble'” or the commenter who’s bored enough to comment on it?

For the record, you’re sounding EXACTLY like Geo!

omg you’re catching on. i’m bored enough to visit this wasteland at least once a week, so that doesn’t say a lot does it?

anyway this is all well and good, but i’m more into sharing ideas of a higher thought process than you’re letting yourself achieve, so until you snap out of your lsd and alcohol induced stupor, i think we can put this little back and forth on hold.

i’m not breaking up with you, i can already see one of your incredibly unusual regulars writing a 500 word comment about this, but they still have a lot to learn. that isn’t to say we all don’t, but i think we can agree some have more to learn than others.

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