On 6/25/07, Fred Bauder fredbaud@waterwiki.info wrote:
Of course, "troll" often means "person who insists on bringing up something I'm doing wrong even though I keep trying to dismiss him."
It's an accurate use of the term if it's describing someone who keeps resurrecting an issue with a view to causing trouble around it.
That is assuming bad faith, in spades.
Not assuming, Slim Virgin speaks from experience.
I speak from experience too, Fred; and since my experience goes back before the Great Renaming, I'd say it is quite considerable. And I see a distinct difference between people who are stirring up trouble for their own entertainment, and those who, rightly or wrongly, are persistent in pressing a particular issue. It is a tempting rationalization to call the latter "trolls", but it is way too self-serving a politcal and rhetorical a tactic.