Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists

a reply to: ~Lucidity

I only troll occasionally on Stormfront, the white supremacists discussion forum, I have to use a proxy server, and I usually get banned quickly when I present my non-racist arguments.
Does that count? Does that make me a Narcissist, Psychopath, or Sadist?

The challenge I find on ATS is less trolls, and more overly emotional people who struggle to engage in reasoned and logical debate without their feelings clouding their responses.
I find that tiresome, and almost see it as trollish in the sense that their emotions are often derailing interesting debate.
Such is life though, I don't care enough to start a thread about it.

Last night, a Facebook friend, uncharacteristically posted the "Baby playing with King Cobra" video.
People immediately started freaking out on his thread about it, and it even got a little racist (the baby is Indian.)

I was a few beers in, and shouldn't have jumped in, but did, and was a bit sarcastic about informing them that the cobra was de-fanged and posed no threat, and that spreading this video only spreads the idea that the Indian family are basically ignorant and uncivilized.

Before I could write my somewhat apologetic response to the first guy to attack me, he had replied, messaged, AND blocked me. Then others jumped in. I'm still getting notifications today but am ignoring them. I've been called a moron, and every other name in the book, and finally had to say,
"Okay, you win. It's way more likely that people let babies and people play with deadly cobras, than that the cobras are deformed to be rendered harmless." Again, I was called a moron!

I even checked on here, and sure enough, this was a thread a year ago, and sure enough, one person explains the truth, then right below there is another member posting about how despicable it is! When they are called out for ignoring the obvious truth, they attack with name-calling and immature comments. Glad I didn't post about it!

So weird. I feel really bad for those people. I clicked on one guys page who messaged me to block him, and his profile pic is of him scowling. Hilarious, and sad at the same time.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: Maverick1
Maybe, just maybe, it's the damned internet itself that is the problem. We are all part troll on here at one point, on one place or the other.

"Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists"...change the word 'troll' to user and it might be closer to some actual universal truth.

And yeah, I include myself.

I draw the line at intent.

I don't intend to troll. I am actually trying to discuss productively, but I have no doubt others construe me as a troll at times because my attempts to discuss upset them which is part of what makes a troll.

A true troll could care less if there is any productive discussion. They just want to watch the thread burn.

My definition of a troll is a person that uses trolling techniques to elicit a response.
Some of the best teachers are spectacular trolls.
A mean troll sitting there under the bridge sometimes keeps their "key to pass" hidden in a place no one can find it while leaving the "key to insanity" laying out in the open.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

I am guilty of trolling many years back. back when I had lost my way along with my morals. It was a very dark time, (though my life seems much more darker now being awake than back then.)

Unfortunately what goes around comes around. Today when trying to spread news that involves corruption, I encounter the trolls and they do give me a hard time and often i get baited into arguing. I forget what the purpose of trolling is and lose my cool.

I guess its a way of karma biting me back where the sun doesn't shine, but hey. It is a valuable lesson of karma none the less.

I agree with you, it is narcissism, and many of the trolls from when I used to roam the chans, were usually lonely individuals who felt abandoned. That seems to be the core issue with many narcissists, it is usually an issue of abandonment

a reply to: ~Lucidity

When it comes to trolls I go against the grain and feed them.

I hold a mirror to one of their many profiles and reflect their many insecurities and inadequacies upon them. Then they have my permission to be reported.

Don't forget hilarious!!

Link to image

They love it when you can't let go

Last one

a reply to: intrptr

They made me chuckle
Pity the OP seems to have bailed on the thread though, I was interested in their opinion on me purposefully trolling at Stormfront, does that make me a Narcissist, Psychopath, or Sadist?

Regarding the OP thoughts though, I do believe some fragile folk on ATS confuse a blunt difference of opinion with trolling.
There is this imagined 'respect for all views' thing which I don't get. If I think something is ridiculous then I'll say so. Same in real life, most people I know like my honesty, but online it's all about lame hurt feelings.
I've never been on ATS to make friends though, just to enjoy robust and interesting debate.

a reply to: intrptr

lol@first one...that's how i imagine them.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

well i think u got trolls all wrong. as the guy who invented trolling i can tell you thats not trolling or the reason for trolling. let me tell you about the birth of trolling.

trolling did not always take this form. early forms of trolling were no different from basic british sarcastic humour. and humour is the most important part of trolling. later on i realized that some people simply could not detect sarcasm in your responses to them. and this is where the turning point happens. the goal of the troll if he is to be worth his grain of salt. is to make light hearted humourous responses with intricate sarcasm that the person you're speaking to cant detect.

why and when do i troll?
trolling usually happens when your having a conversation with someone who seems to have less than require faculty for their responses to be taken seriously. and you do it too. i think almost everyone trolls at some point in real life given a certain type of situation.

let me see, you read that last paragraph and said 'you're' , not 'your' in your mind right? maybe? well the troll is just waiting for you to say that because ur so predictable u feel the need to correct someone who can speak and write perfect english but just made a typo. so if ur one of those grammar nazis a troll just might provide u the most horrendous grammar and spelling repeatedly to see how long it takes before u get tired of correcting them.

in the end a troll doesnt really do anything more than test the limits of the person thyre speaking to stupidity.

trolling can be funny, but it can also be annoying. it just depends on which side of the fence you choose to sit. but basically a troll performs to be an idiot because he believes hes around idiots and so needs to be an idiot too to fit in. personally i find all trolling hilarious because i guess i get what the troll is trying to say. and it flies over everyone else's heads. so that's whats funny mostly. the flying over ppl's heads part.

trolling is thus intricate humour for an advanced mind in the company of dullards

trollin trollin trollin rawhideeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

trollin trolli trollin rawhideeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

That song is now stuck in your head. You are welcome.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the OP.

You will find "Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists" within all groups of people, pretty much anywhere you can think of.

What it seems you are trying to imply is that if somebody is an Internet Troll, then they are mostly likely either one of those three things (or all three).

I just don't agree with the logic of that statement. People's mindsets can be extremely complex, as can their motivations for doing certain things like Trolling. Are they simply bored? Do they have untreated mental issues? Do they take pleasure in eliciting an emotional reaction out of others? What kind of experiences have they had with other people throughout their lives? Do they Troll as a form of self-therapy?

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Agreed.
I used my example of intentionally trolling on a white supremacist forum. I know I'm not going to change their opinions but I find enjoyment disrupting their discussions for as long as it takes me to get banned.

If the OP had been in the rant section perhaps I would have ignored it, but to make a philosophical claim about trolls then I felt compelled to use my own example to show it is not necessarily correct.
OP has ignored my point though, pity, it could have been an interesting discussion questioning my own trolling position regarding Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists.

Perhaps OP has had a think and realised that perhaps it not all trolls are Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Sadists.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

I'm not implying anything. Just posted for discussion of the study.

a reply to: grainofsand

The OP being the source article, correct?

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
a reply to: grainofsand

The OP being the source article, correct?

Yep.
I compare their definition to my actions when I troll a white supremacist site, and I disagree:

Let's start by getting our definitions straight: An Internet troll is someone who comes into a discussion and posts comments designed to upset or disrupt the conversation. Often, in fact, it seems like there is no real purpose behind their comments except to upset everyone else involved. Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response.

I troll on stormfront to disrupt hate fueled discussions about fellow human beings, while at the same time attempting to chip away at anyone I can with my non-racist views. I am what most people would regard as a forum troll on that specific site.

The study in the OP was a tightly defined type of troll, nothing more.
The headline in the OP assumes a generalised definition of a troll, when in reality there is not.

You also said:

Don't let them ruin a community or a site.

I then politely ask does that apply to racist communities, sites and forums?
I am clearly trolling there so does that make me a Narcissist, Psychopath, and/or Sadist?
If you believe so then we would be in disagreement, but I'd love to know your thoughts if you do.

a reply to: grainofsand

I don't see the point. If they want to do their thing on their site, let them. I'm not psychologically inclined out of any sense of anything to go troll them.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

Excellent post and thread, S&F! Spot on! I hate trolls.

a reply to: ~Lucidity

I didn't ask you if you saw the point, I asked if you considered my actions are those of a Narcissist, Psychopath, and/or Sadist?
Do you have no opinion on that specific question?

It is relevant and on-topic to the discussion where the study defines a troll.

a reply to: grainofsand

I don't really have enough information to answer that question. But if pressed, I could see it.