Why aren't the mods banning obvious trolls?

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I won't name any specific username here because I know I'll get done for something stupid like "personal attacks", but when I say that there's a troll on this forum saying completely stupid things and doing nothing but causing mulit-page arguments with his posts, I think you know which member I'm talking about.

What I want to know is, why isn't anything being done? Why are the mods on here so reluctant to ban obvious trolls? It's just disturbing the forum and annoying everyone.

You know whilst your point is a good one I guess, it does raise the harder question. How can we separate a troll from a person with opinions wildly different from our own perspective. It is not so cut and dry. Some people are passionate and some meek. Some people are opinionated and some go with the flow. Different people here with different needs, wants and life experiences. Lots to learn.
What is an obvious troll to you may not be for them and visa versa.
Difficult part of being a mod? Ever been one? I have and am and it sucks. Believe me

I think some trolls are potentially not so negative. They cause us to look at things from a different angle and expand on what we hold and even reinforce our values and our positions. We contest them and reaffirm our reasoning and values. We learn to fight and defend and I think as much as a pain as this is it can be ultimately a positive experience if we view it as such. Normally hindsight stuff though.

At a forum I was in, we had a couple of obnoxious trolls. Very disliked. You know what it did? It caused all of us to round on them and send them packing. The effect on the forum? Short term a lot of very upset people. Long term a lot of respect for those defending and a greater sense of community and content. Funny wouldn't you say. Also they exposed some weaknesses in the way the site was that we collectively fixed.

A lot of positive results.

Someone considered a troll might also be a young person who's still trying to sort things out and tends to express anger and frustration in absolute terms (i.e. a teenager). Such a person is not posting negative topics for the sole purpose of creating conflict and would indeed benefit from input from older more settled members.

I'm just suggesting perhaps such a person is angry and conflicted about his own diagnosis and is lashing out according to his maturity level. Doesn't it benefit him to hear our reasoned responses? At the very least we can just roll our eyes and move along. I know people IRL who are adults who frequently express themselves by statements like "I'm gonna insert threat here". They are also completely harmless. I would not put such a person on the same level as the infamous J.B. or any of the various people who like to start the interminable self-diagnosis threads.

i do not mind trolls at all. they are not in my living room.
they say things that bring out the worst in otherwise nice members, and they lay bare the hidden hostilities of members that i would never know but for their response to who they perceive as a troll.

it is like they are "patience testers", and i see the limited patience of some otherwise apparently tolerant members when they encounter a post that makes them lose their temper.

trolls have a purpose in my mind. like worms in the compost.

no one should be seriously saddened or affected by a troll.

they are not able to hijack such a large forum as this, and they are like little one man pirates in a wooden vessel with a pop gun trying to take over a cargo ship.

trolls are not a problem to me.

it is like a pinch of salt added to a cake mix.

Public accusations of trolling are not allowed, Asp-Z - yet I haven't received any PMs from you regarding the issues you've observed. If anyone has concerns, all they have to do is contact a moderator. While the method rossc suggested might have worked for their situation, it is not how the problem is handled on WrongPlanet.

If there are further concerns, please contact a moderator. I am locking this thread before it becomes attacks on other members.


M.