I apologize as this comment is not directly related to the story, which I find very important, but it pertains to this community.
I support freedom of speech as I hope most of the people in this community do, though I do not see this right as absolute (not right is). However, I wonder if trolling should be considered free speech, especi…
I apologize as this comment is not directly related to the story, which I find very important, but it pertains to this community.
I support freedom of speech as I hope most of the people in this community do, though I do not see this right as absolute (not right is). However, I wonder if trolling should be considered free speech, especially trolling with agenda. This is a relatively new phenomenon that emerged with the rise of "comments sections" that, for many people, have become as important as the stories to which the comments pertain. This lead to a phenomenon of individuals who partake in "comments" discussion not to express genuine opinions not to add to the discussion, but for the purpose of hijacking the discussion or sidelining it. There are many examples of individuals and groups around the world that are paid by political parties to do this kind of work. I am not familiar with the media on the right, but I have seen examples of this kind of activity, particularly in the local media in the area where I live, where activist groups have "bots" that tend to take over comments discussions on stories that were critical of their groups and/or leaders.
The reason that I bring this up is because it is becoming apparent to me that we might have examples of this kind of activity on this forum.
It could be argued that the comments for the last two stories have been "hijacked" by the character named "Matt M.". The question is what if anything should be done about it? I do not have a problem with contrarian thinking as long as it is genuine and focused on helping, not hurting. Of course that it is okay to criticize Bari; of course that she has some kind of agenda; of course there is antisemitism on the right... Yet the fact remains that we are a society in a deep, perhaps existential crisis, with threats coming from all sides of the political spectrum and from all sides of the world, so I would says that this is not time for arguing for arguing sake.
Besides, that kind of behavior can be seen as hurtful and I wish it would stop.
"with threats coming from all sides of the political spectrum"
Perhaps. Maybe. However, the threat against free speech, with which you opened your comment, is only coming from one side of the spectrum.
I agree with you about trolls. But a big part of this original post is about pushing back. I think it's important to speak out, but not necessarily to engage in a way that feeds the trolls.
I agree with you re-threats as things currently stand. My fear, however, is not just of the current extremism, but also from the almost inevitable backlash that this radicalism could bring. This backlash, of course, does not have to be a negative one. The way I see it, vast majority of us are currently stuck in the middle, surrounded by radicals that are lobbing grenades at each other, over our heads. Those of us in the middle disagree with one another on many issues, sometimes fundamentally, but are bound by certain shared values. We are not represented in politics, in the media, in popular culture, economy, as these radical elements almost completely dominate all these areas, sometimes using trolling aka "matt mullening" in the case of this forum to eliminate any spaces where meaningful discussion is possible, in some cases using our belief in some of these values, like free speech, to undermine them. We are important in this system only as a source of tax revenue - yes, we pay for all this, the schools, the universities, companies that we are supporting with our money. They are counting on our meekness, our unwillingness to go beyond comments on some forum in response to all this. So the question comes down to what do you believe in, and what are you willing to do about it. That would be a positive backlash - more democracy as a response to a threat on democracy.
I just ignore the comments of certain posters once I’ve decided they are trolls. They thrive on responses from others to their insipid comments. Deprive them of that joy, and they soon get bored.
Your comment pertains to all Substack communities as well as every online forum where ideas are exchanged. Trolls are pernicious and can, in one inflammatory post, obfuscate, distract and derail both the conversation and the purpose of a journalist’s post itself.
The solution is simple: do not feed the troll.
Trolls push our outrage button and provoke an irresistible urge to respond. How can I NOT push back, correct, scold, stand up for all that is true, fair, just and moral in the face of such blatant lies and bigotry? Easy. Ask yourself: is this the post of somebody operating in good faith? Are they seeking to enlighten or inflame?
It’s not hard to identify troll-speak. If you don’t realize it on the first pass, by the second pass you will. Because the troll lives to provoke. But the troll is not worth responding to.
Put your ego on the back burner and starve the troll.
I apologize as this comment is not directly related to the story, which I find very important, but it pertains to this community.
I support freedom of speech as I hope most of the people in this community do, though I do not see this right as absolute (not right is). However, I wonder if trolling should be considered free speech, especially trolling with agenda. This is a relatively new phenomenon that emerged with the rise of "comments sections" that, for many people, have become as important as the stories to which the comments pertain. This lead to a phenomenon of individuals who partake in "comments" discussion not to express genuine opinions not to add to the discussion, but for the purpose of hijacking the discussion or sidelining it. There are many examples of individuals and groups around the world that are paid by political parties to do this kind of work. I am not familiar with the media on the right, but I have seen examples of this kind of activity, particularly in the local media in the area where I live, where activist groups have "bots" that tend to take over comments discussions on stories that were critical of their groups and/or leaders.
The reason that I bring this up is because it is becoming apparent to me that we might have examples of this kind of activity on this forum.
It could be argued that the comments for the last two stories have been "hijacked" by the character named "Matt M.". The question is what if anything should be done about it? I do not have a problem with contrarian thinking as long as it is genuine and focused on helping, not hurting. Of course that it is okay to criticize Bari; of course that she has some kind of agenda; of course there is antisemitism on the right... Yet the fact remains that we are a society in a deep, perhaps existential crisis, with threats coming from all sides of the political spectrum and from all sides of the world, so I would says that this is not time for arguing for arguing sake.
Besides, that kind of behavior can be seen as hurtful and I wish it would stop.
"with threats coming from all sides of the political spectrum"
Perhaps. Maybe. However, the threat against free speech, with which you opened your comment, is only coming from one side of the spectrum.
I agree with you about trolls. But a big part of this original post is about pushing back. I think it's important to speak out, but not necessarily to engage in a way that feeds the trolls.
I agree with you re-threats as things currently stand. My fear, however, is not just of the current extremism, but also from the almost inevitable backlash that this radicalism could bring. This backlash, of course, does not have to be a negative one. The way I see it, vast majority of us are currently stuck in the middle, surrounded by radicals that are lobbing grenades at each other, over our heads. Those of us in the middle disagree with one another on many issues, sometimes fundamentally, but are bound by certain shared values. We are not represented in politics, in the media, in popular culture, economy, as these radical elements almost completely dominate all these areas, sometimes using trolling aka "matt mullening" in the case of this forum to eliminate any spaces where meaningful discussion is possible, in some cases using our belief in some of these values, like free speech, to undermine them. We are important in this system only as a source of tax revenue - yes, we pay for all this, the schools, the universities, companies that we are supporting with our money. They are counting on our meekness, our unwillingness to go beyond comments on some forum in response to all this. So the question comes down to what do you believe in, and what are you willing to do about it. That would be a positive backlash - more democracy as a response to a threat on democracy.
I don't really think of myself as being in the middle. I pray for a resistance to mounting oppression, but so far it looks like sheep are gonna sheep.
I just ignore the comments of certain posters once I’ve decided they are trolls. They thrive on responses from others to their insipid comments. Deprive them of that joy, and they soon get bored.
Your comment pertains to all Substack communities as well as every online forum where ideas are exchanged. Trolls are pernicious and can, in one inflammatory post, obfuscate, distract and derail both the conversation and the purpose of a journalist’s post itself.
The solution is simple: do not feed the troll.
Trolls push our outrage button and provoke an irresistible urge to respond. How can I NOT push back, correct, scold, stand up for all that is true, fair, just and moral in the face of such blatant lies and bigotry? Easy. Ask yourself: is this the post of somebody operating in good faith? Are they seeking to enlighten or inflame?
It’s not hard to identify troll-speak. If you don’t realize it on the first pass, by the second pass you will. Because the troll lives to provoke. But the troll is not worth responding to.
Put your ego on the back burner and starve the troll.
true, alas.