A few months ago I had a troll on my blog.

Some of you may know this, as it was pretty apparent in the comments…who the troll was, what my reaction to it was…

I want my blog to be a place where everyone’s opinion matters. I want to hear all sides of an issue. I want people to make me think about something in a way I never thought of before. I might disagree, or even offer a counterpoint, but I truly respect every single opinion ever given. Yesterday I delved into the controversial topic of pronoun use. I understand people that say it’s a silly idea, I understand those who think it makes certain people feel better, and I understand those who think it’s just a tool of people with an agenda. I want to talk about these ideas and things that matter. And frankly, sometimes I want to talk about a TV show that jumped the shark. But I want to hear what everyone thinks.

Along with trying to be open minded, I also have some other core belief’s.

I believe that there is no such thing as a “better” gender. I think no matter what you consider yourself, we are all equal.

I believe that each and every religion has value. I do not think one religion is better than another. I also think that agnostics and atheists are also of equal value. What you do or don’t believe doesn’t matter to me.

I believe that all races are the same. We are all humans. If Martians decide to come down, I will make a further determination at that point.

I believe that sexual orientation doesn’t matter except between the two (or three)people behind the bedroom door. Whatever But I don’t like PDA, no matter who is involved, so keep it closed up.

Nationality doesn’t matter to me. Again- every nationality is equal in my eyes. I want to try your food, learn your culture, and broaden my horizons. Everyone has value.

What don’t I like?

Name calling

Finger pointing

Blaming others

Stereotyping

You know else I really don’t like?

When someone stretches the topic of my blog just so they can put in their off colored opinion on a topic.

I love tangents: some of the best thoughts come when a few people get involved in a conversation and we just shoot ideas back and forth. That is creativity at it’s best- people working towards a common goal…

However, If my blog is about A, and someone says something where the intent is to only be provocative….and not provocative in the good way….

Watch out.

Here’s something else I don’t like: if a joke needs to end with the teller saying “It’s a joke” guess what? It’s not a joke. It’s just stupid. Or insensitive. Or trying to show that you are funny when you aren’t.

So there you go.

I rarely get true trolls on my blog, but I if and when I do, I will react accordingly. Sometimes people are just stupid. Sometimes they are just mean. I can tolerate stupid. I won’t tolerate mean…

74 thoughts on “Just Trolling Along”

  4. I remember last year during the riots, you had a lurker or someone very mad at what you or someone said about something. I thought you handled it well because she was angry and seeking retribution. Maybe I am wrapped up in my own thoughts but I did not notice any lurkers although like most I focus on what I say to you and others response.

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  6. We are all entitled to be who we are and believe what we choose to believe BUT when we demand our rights it is always at the expense of someone else’s. I will not force my beliefs or lifestyle on anyone & I would appreciate if others respect that boundary.

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  7. I never like “oh it it’s a joke” Don’t say it in the first place if you have to add a disclaimer. I’m a fan of your values. People need to stop this online antagonistic behaviour. Discussion is healthy, arguing is counter productive. I’m glad this person didn’t chase you offline.

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    1. I hate it’s a joke, or you’re too sensitive or a prude or you have no sense of humor. Those are just ways to say you’re right, as opposed to you’re insensitive

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  8. Amen, sister. I find it hard to believe that God—anybody’s God—would condemn anyone for sexual orientation or otherwise. We are all equal. God’s busy. He’s got other things to worry about like murderers and rapists and child abductors and well, trolls!!! Have a great day!

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  10. Trolling or being called out as a troll was the first exchange of Non Fungible Currency in the Social Media Era, LA. And various platform providers of this new ability to collective chitchat and powwow soon realized there was gold in them there conversations. And the more heated the discussions became, the easier the smelting process.

    And as Social Media truly became the global mass media, all aspects of culture began to lay claim and the salting of the minds began. Not quite propaganda of the deed, but propaganda, in deed. Facts are fiction, or just fleeting feelings. All events are engineered by experts who consider themself your betters. And like that from A to Q.

    All anti-pluralistic authoritarian propaganda painting their like as the only solution, while negating the average Jane and Joe’s political understandings and desire to share. How many blogs have you read, hosted by fine people, declaring their site politics free, while commenters reply with a threaded cheer, right..politics sucks. All politicians are alike.

    In my opinion, LA, you have a wonderful discussion site, that like all normal adult conversations, sometimes turns political. Yet, I’ve read you many times, seem to shy away from that truth. Almost trolling yourself.

    And by the bye, most trolls could be minimized by maybe thirty lines of code. And option to respond to the blog host only. And the host could then decide if the comment should appear in the comment thread. An option I may have utilized for this reply to your post.

    Regards,

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    1. I want to remain as neutral as possible. Most of the time. There are times my leaning is clear…but I hope I’m more vague than not…if asked…I’ll probably tell you my opinion on stuff…I just don’t like when people are anti people

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  11. There’s no excuse for mean. Period. You can agree to disagree or have your own points of view respectfully heard, but to be mean is not acceptable. Ignorant. Ok. Willing to listen. Yes. I’m sorry this happened to you.

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  15. Now I did have someone make a comment and since I am moderator I did not approve it. It said, ‘Stay away from my f*** blog with your comments.’ Then when I went to the site, it was a commercial baking site for keto. Like bleuwater, I immediately began to wonder if I had been too blunt with someone or were they just harassing me. It did make me uncomfortable for a New York minute and then I moved on.

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  16. Thank you for your strong, clear and unequivocal tone here. This is your space. I am glad you protect it and so you absolutely should and obviously do. So many nice people out there who interact with me, and I am glad to focus on those people. I also enjoy the diversity of people, ideas, foods, and I value the kindness and generosity of many. Thank you for allowing my feedback on your posts. – David

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  24. Well said! I am often impressed by your neutrality! Often times I wonder how you do it! I tend to be a bit too opinionated. You remain cool calm and collected! Don’t let trolls prevent you from being you! Keep up the good work. ❤️

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      3. Ha! Trust me you are polite. Every person reads a blog like yours that asks questions and internalizes it to giver a personal response. Sometimes their response triggers something dark inside them. Unfortunately you get the brunt of their anger or sadness. It’s all apart of of being on a social media site. You never know what kind of crazy is out there.

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      4. If it makes someone think, or even makes them eventually heal, I’ll take it on the shoulders. We’re all a little crazy, or in my case…a lot…😉

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  25. Okay, here’s the deal. As much as I want to agree with your philosophy of ‘it’s all good’, and I often do, I also have a part of me that believes in right/wrong, true/false, good/bad. However, it’s not my place to judge, but we all do. So I will confess that I’ve been that troll. I’ve been the person who gets triggered by someone being ‘too open-minded’ when I was feeling snarky and pissy and so I have let it fly in the comments. I try not to do that so much these days. Having less estrogen helps. But here in the land of WordPress, (I’m about to generalize), I find that people just like to talk about stuff, throw out arguments, debate, give their opinions, and I enjoy that very much. It’s hard to get people to actually TALK these days. :p

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    1. I never consider you a troll. You have your beliefs. I’m ok with that. And even when you make a provocative statement, I listen, because you are intelligent and think things out. However, the person who commented on my blog was specifically there to make trouble…they were looking for a fight. I don’t care if someon3 disagrees with me. I care if they’re being intentionally insensitive which this person was

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  30. I learned a long time ago to shut out negative comments from people I don’t know. I just wish I could do that as easily with people I do know, especially myself!

    I think/hope the rate of change in my life might be slowing down. Pandemic almost over, divorce mainly over except the paperwork, no longer solely responsible for Mom’s care.

    Have recently started looking at affirmations as a way to turn off my negative self-talk. Now that I may be able to act more on self-care I am dithering with the idea of making a large financial investment in myself with the aim of once again determining who I am and what I want to do and be.

    Not expecting a response on this. Just using your post as a sounding board for my thinking. I guess I am SO open-minded that if I don’t have other responsibilities I really have a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with myself. I overcame this “problem” during my younger single years and am pretty sure I will now have the opportunity to do it again.

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