The New Forum Trend of Fragility and Trolling

[Jonathan Greene]

The forums here are always a mixed bag, but recent occurrences have unveiled a new low in trolling.

It's commenting on comments and then attempting to gaslight.

Multiple times now, someone has commented on either a post of mine or a comment of mine that was not directed at them. They either quoted or tagged me to start something, and then when I responded to them, they tried to gaslight me as if I was the one who sought them out. It's hugely trolly, weird, and borderline sociopathic.

Healthy disagreements are fine in forums, but when you initiate the conversation, you can't later hide from it and make it like someone else started it when the entire dialogue is right above.

A lot of this has to do with personal fragility and internet puffery.

At one point, I invited two trolls to hop on a recorded (for everyone's sake) Zoom to discuss what they were up in arms about. They both took that as a threat. Huh? People love to talk it up on an Internet board but will never hop on a live or recorded call that would be broadcast to the same people they are trying to impress. Shocker.