Weird Pathology: PD.com

[The Good Reverend Roger]

This forum has been going for about ten years now, and most members have been here for about 6 years.  In that time, we have had no shortage of unoriginal trolls plodding up to poop on the carpet, and in that time, we have never, ever learned what to do about it.

The routine usually goes as follows:

1.  Content is on the upswing.
2.  Aspie or other damage case arrives, and begins attention-whoring.
3.  Everyone drops what they're doing and gives the troll WHAT FOR.  To WIN.
4.  Pledge.
5.  Things get better for 30 seconds.
6.  2-5 members decide to tell the troll what an asshole he/she is, which is PRECISELY what the troll wants.
7.  1-4 members start howling "PLEDGE", which is ALSO what the troll wants, as this is a form of attention.
8.  Content by now is non-existent.
9.  Troll finally gets bored and leaves or is banned.
10.  Begin long dry spell.

This formula has played out 3-4 times a year, with almost no variation.  Sometimes people feel bad for the troll, and think he/she can be rehabilitated.  Sometimes people just want to give their bad day to the troll.  Sometimes they just lose their shit.  In any case, the troll wins, by shutting down everything not related to the troll.

Which is why this thread isn't about trolls.  It's about the inability to learn from prior experience.  It's about the need to - as Nigel put it - drag out your e-peen and thump it on the table.  It's about the fact that this sort of shit is easier than thinking.

It is in fact memetic false consciousness, because you get to drop back into a comfortable, established mindset that eases the onerous burden of standing upright.    It also applies to non-troll activity, such as the perennial "hot button" threads, like drug topics, libertarianism, anarchy, magick, etc.

You've already had the conversation, so you just vomit up the same thing you did the last thousand times.  Now you've POSTED.  You've CONTRIBUTED.  And yet the board is still for some reason not producing that kickass shit that we all come back here to see.

I wonder why that is?

The solution, of course, is to avoid doing the same old shit.  Use the ignore option, once you've identified the aspie/negative attention whore.  Talk around the "look at me" jackass, or stay out of the thread with the endlessly rehashed topic.  Use a little self-discipline.  It's not really that difficult.

Or don't.  Go ahead and screech in the rehashed thread.  Tell that troll just HOW MUCH YOU HATE HIM.  Keep running on that treadmill, keep feeding that Goddamn monkey on your back.  It's your brain, after all, and you can rot it all you like.

Shut up.

[Sir Bearington]

Hmm i can see your point but if you ask me, your pleas may be falling on deaf ears.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Youre right roger. We have better things to do than that. Thats why im formulating my essay in my head.