I typically don’t engage trolls. It seems like such a nugatory endeavor. These bots have no real intention of having a rational discussion. Their only purpose is spreading vitriol, hoping to provoke a response.
To dwell on the rantings of mad dogs is an exercise in futility. There’s no expectation for normal conversation, their arguments only get more personal and belligerent. There’s no history, or prior interaction. It’s guerrilla warfare, ambushing with words. I don’t get it. It’s really sad and pathetic to think that this is all they do, or all they live for.
It’s the pointlessness that confounds me. Why would someone spend their time cruising the Internet, usually without knowing anything other than what is read in a single entry, dropping turds of hate in the backyards of total strangers? And, it’s exactly that. They are full of shit and are dropping steaming piles of turds everywhere.
Their words, their comments, their arguments are no more compelling than what the neighbor’s mutt leaves on my lawn. While more annoyed than offended at having to clean up the filth, it’s simply a matter of tossing the muck in my trash.
There’s no point in trying to dissuade further deposits, inconsiderate trolls, like inconsiderate neighbors, can’t be reasoned with, there is that sense of entitlement to do as they please. Childish and boorish, both unworthy of my energy and attention.
I’m fortunate in that I rarely get trollish comments. (I’ve probably jinxed that now.) Since the majority of my blog features photography and fiction, there’s little to contradict.
I’m not a Comment Purist. I have absolutely no problem trashing any comment that is a personal attack on me or another commenter. My unwritten rule is, “play nice, or go home.” You can disagree, offer a different view, but keep it civil, or you get deleted and “blacklisted.”
Thin spiral notebook 
Your words are brilliant and truthful as always…
LikeLike
I couldn’t agree more! Well said!
LikeLike
Amen, sister!
LikeLike
Trolls do what they do because they are emotionally stunted individuals who feel powerless in the real world. This gives them the attention they crave. Nothing upsets a troll more than being ignored (except for the rare cases of successful counter trolling in which they rage quit and leave in a huff, having been vanquished).
LikeLike
well said 🙂
LikeLike
OMG,I had completely forgotten that they exist here in the writing/blogsphere too!I have been playing some designing games for the last two years & have sen some nasty ones -no idea what pleasure they get-we even designed some rooms exclusively for them-boy,it was fun doing that contest,lol!Loved your piece-apt choice of words Tara & I completely agree with your rule:-)
LikeLike
I couldn’t agree more. Well said. Unfortunate we have to deal with these *&$Y@^*’s…yeeh…*gets horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach*. Do you know, I once had somebody write a hate article filled with nastiness and vitriol and venom on their blog about me…huh…yeeh…what some people will do…UGH. Best thing to do is to just ignore it and not respond, in that case. You never know who’s out there on the internet…there’s all sort of whackos and sick, sick, sick, twisted bleeps in the world…yeesh. *shakes head*. Internetting (made up a word…heh heh 🙂 ), so to speak, is a risk you take, putting stuff out there. There’s also the problem of spammers and of copyright violators and plagiarists too, which is of special concern to those of us who put our work out there where anyone can copy and steal it and post it verbatim on their own websites and claim it as their own…Lotta risks out there. But then if you think like that, you can never blog, so…I dunno… 😦
LikeLike
There’s a special place in hell for a plagiarizer. I’ve had the same person steal content from me twice, kept claiming she didn’t realizing she was doing anything wrong. I guess when you decide to put your work and words out on the Internet, that is just one of the risks.
There will always be jerks.
LikeLike
Oh my goodness, I had someone steal content from my professional website this last week – she populated her *entire* site with it. And, what a muppet, she wrote notes to her web designer at the top, saying, “This is plagiarised but it’s good so I might customise it.”
Well, hello, screen-shots! They, and a carefully worded email convinced her to remove the content…
*glowers*
LikeLike
Even without identifying my plagiarizer, my faithful readers and friends found her. It was a bloody feeding frenzy. She too removed the offending posts. I was prepared to take legal action against her. Screen shots are always wise in those cases.
LikeLike
Good! There’s no excuse for stealing someone else’s work – it’s so appalling that I’m not surprised your readers went after her like a pack of sharks. Let’s hope it taught her a lesson!
LikeLike
Eek! That’s totally frightening. I’m glad she was found out.
LikeLike
Haha, loved this post. And your unapologetic stance on comments here on your blog: good for you! My blog, my rules! x
LikeLike
The pointlessness confounds me, too. I don’t understand why someone would spend precious hours of their lives trolling on the internet.
LikeLike
“hate turds” OH YEAH. That is awesome.
LikeLike
I agree with you. Sometimes, its hard to tell a troll for the rainbows, though.
LikeLike