Tony Jacobs wrote:
Why couldn't we have a reputation, even among
trolls, as a place that
won't tolerate nonsense, but will at least treat you with dignity
while they show you the door? Wouldn't that be better? I know that
some admins manage to deal with vandals and trolls without enraging them,
and I'll agree it's tricky, but it's worthwhile. I know some trolls,
too, and I know that being treated abusively makes them feel vindicated,
and want to troll again. When they're treated with dignity, it sort of
brings them up short, and takes the satisfaction out of it.
There's a fine line here, and I don't want to sound like I'm
arguing on the "there's no problem here" side of it, because I
agree, hotheadedness and snideness are always wrong, and more
civility is always nice.
The problem, of course, is that there's one breed of troll
(arguably this is the very definition of a troll) that
absolutely thrives on being talked to and treated *with* dignity.
You engage these trolls in "civilized discourse" at your peril,
because that's just what they want, and if you let them, they'll
drag you down into a never-ending, mind-rotting, Alice-down-a-
rabbit-hole "debate" that neither you nor the project has time
for and that won't accomplish anything positive in the end.
Furthermore, along the way they're liable to trick you into
something that will make you look bad in the eyes of the peanut
gallery.
As long as "treat you with dignity while they show you the door"
can sometimes mean "treat you with dignity while they show you
the door, IMMEDIATELY" (without passing GO, collecting $200,
or spending minute one discussing the possibility), I have no
argument with what you wrote.