The Trolls Union

[AB Editor]

Interesting article from Vice, of all places.

"Meeting the Free Speech Crusaders Who Want to End Political Correctness"
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/young-british-heritage-society-launch

Abusive internet bullies gather around to talk about how their free speech is being impeded because no one wants to hear their vague and boring ideas.

What is it that makes them so entitled?

These are our society's current angry young men - is their limpness a sign of a strong society with few problems, or a sign of some of societal sickness?

[woofgang]

I don’t think they are our society’s only angry young people (see what I did there :) )
I do think that t’internet and mobile communication generally makes it easier for each flavour of fruitcake to find its fellows.

[AB Editor]

a bit like cherries sinking to the bottom I suppose.

[wolf63]

Trolls are either trying to cheer folk up by being stupid or pretending that they are important and smarter than the rest of us.

The second category are usually males who are cowardly and pathetic in real life and live under the thumb at home. They think that t'internet gives them power through anonymity.

Real Trolls are little ugly things with colourful but fizzy hair.

[Khandro]

ED. What makes you think that all their ideas are vague and boring?
There may well be a bit of venom among some posts, but I'd rather have that than the stultifying PC and 'safe space' ideology which is now taking place on university campuses.

[AB Editor]

Yeah, I think threatening to rape people isn't really "just a bit of venom".

You prefer that to people engaging respectful debate?

Their ideas are well published, and they display them with with extremely violent language. I know what they're saying and their goals are racist, sexist and not particularly helpful to a cohesive, positive society.

[sandyRoe]

Didn't angry young men once rail against society's iniquities? Now it seems they are more likely to be targeting the weak and the vulnerable on social media.
John Osborne must be spinning in his grave.

[AB Editor]

sandyRoe - exactly. Not sure why this cultural flip has happened?

[jno]

John Osborne was still cross about everything when he died, so his anger didn't change the world much. They're even restaging Terence Rattigan plays again, after he was supposedly dealt a death blow by angry young men.

[sandyRoe]

Weren't some of Rattigan's works a bit like Fawlty Towers without the comedy? If I had to choose I'd rather be in one of his slightly run-down seaside hotels than sitting looking at a kitchen sink full of greasy unwashed dishes.

[Khandro]

Ed. //Yeah, I think threatening to rape people isn't really "just a bit of venom".//

I most certainly wouldn't want to defend that kind of hate mail, but that isn't what they appear to be defending either, (as seems to be borne out by the comments at the bottom of the article).
It sounds to me that they want to counteract the political correctness and virtue signalling which is stifling freedom of speech in our universities and workplaces.
Branding them as "Trolls" (and we all know what they are) and demonstrating "societal sickness" is, I think ill-considered and might demonstrate the kind if attitude you are in fact wishing to denigrate.

[woofgang]

that is a great article Ed. ...I would say its not so much the cherries sinking to the bottom as the nuts.

[mazie]

Cherries don't sink to the bottom if you coat them in flour.

[naomi24]

^I agree.

[douglas9401]

Take my advice, keep cherries away from your bottom, it'll end in tears

[AB Editor]

"For every "Troll" correctly branded as such for making death/rape threats there are twenty or more incorrectly branded as such simply because they have a different opinion."

Is there? Who decides that? :)

Do you think that this large collection of online harassers is the "few" or do you think they're the "wrongly branded"?

"I would have thought that so many people taking great offence at nothing at all is a bigger problem than a few (obviously unhinged) "Trolls"."

Don't know about that. Depend how you feel about the women in your life receiving violent threats online? I think that's a pretty big deal as it stop women joining online debate freely?

It's a strange position you've taken.

[woofgang]

I guess if you want to figure as “in revolt against society” you are a bit limited these days.......

[naomi24]

The article is composed of abusive and misleading gutter language. I see nothing admirable in it.

[Jackdaw33]

I agree entirely with Naomi re the content of the article. Not worth the paper it was printed on. It does not distinguish between threats and sheer abuse, which should rightly be banned, and freedom to express a different point of view.

[Khandro]

Ed. I think you have the wrong end of the stick, these are not internet trolls spreading hatred, I believe the are people who are sick and tired of being accused of racism, sexism, and homophobia by the narrow-minded and self-righteous, every time they open their mouths to put forward their views.