Armed Blowfish wrote:
To be specific, it's a good way to ensure the person keeps arguing the point, rather than agreeing to disagree, since you escalate the importance of the veracity of the statement to his or her reputation of honesty.
In this particular case, it seems clear to me who "Frank" is, and if I am right, then he is actually in fact lying, since he knows more than he is letting on. But since I don't know for sure, I retract the statement and simply say: Frank's complaints are entirely without merit, as Jay is not AWOL at all.
Keep in mind that there really are trolls, and I mean that term in the technical sense of people who post things strictly to stir up trouble. I consider trolling behavior to be almost always dishonest and rooted in dishonesty.
--Jimbo