Trolls in the Dungeon

Stories built upon half-truths or outright lies are storming the United States by force. Angry people on all sides are making claims against several issues including health care, taxes, immigration, or foreign policies (to name a few).

While it is interesting to watch as these issues are picked apart by the media and the American people, it is not surprising to watch as the Internet trolls load up on their “fake news” ammunition and petty insults to distract and redirect the average reader’s attention.

There are endless examples of this behavior throughout the Internet, and it is not limited to one side of an argument. In many political articles, the comments are riddled with attacks on the writer’s character or snips about another commenter’s mother. And people with completely different world views, who align themselves with opposing political parties, are all guilty of attacking their opponent’s character or turning insults back onto their foes.

There seems to be a distinct attitude within the comments of an article, and it can be very off putting for many readers when these waves of hostility take over a place meant for discussion.

While it can be amusing on a surface level to watch a bunch of volatile schmucks insult each other left and right, it is obvious that there is no room for an actual discussion to grow. The comments can quickly become a place where individuals with real concerns are afraid to speak up because they do not wish to be publicly ridiculed.

Watching these verbally abusive brawls unfold is rapidly becoming an everyday norm. But was this always the outcome of online conversations? Were the actual concerns and issues that most citizens without a voice in America could be drowned out and overshadowed by the reckless and problematic arguments of the radical few?

Well, yeah. Of course! Negative seems to strongly outweigh the positive when it comes to human nature.

Within the last week, the Republican party has been pushing to pass their health bill in order to repeal and replace the American Care Act (ACA) put into play during Barak Obama’s presidency.

Now, should one take a moment to peruse the comment sections of most news sites that report on breaking news, such as USAToday, The Washington Times, The Guardian, The Hill, or Fox News, a clearer story can be sorted out.

Nearly every comment section has been over-run by hostile and ugly insults or hate speech.

Below are a few gems that I found in, "Trump Blames the Democrats for GOP Health Care Bill Failure, Says ObamaCare is 'Imploding'," which focuses on the more recent topic of the GOP’s health care bill.

These insults against people’s character and criticism against issues that are not dire or even being argued tell a troubling story. Many people do not want to hear what they do not agree with, and they are willing to insult their enemies (ad hominem) and turn ugly comments thrown their way back onto their opponents (tu quoque.) This is not the way respectable people should act.

And now, those who speak up in this era are labeled as “easily offended” or “weak.”

“‘Poor Little Snowflake’ – the Defining Insult of 2016,” published by The Guardian, sums up the dynamic of people who resort to insulting and blaming others who do not share their views. This article looks at the term “snowflake,” which has been thrown around left and right since the beginning of the US election, and focuses on how it has been used as an insult.

Basically, anyone who disagrees with an argument, or asks that offensive topics and reasoning be questioned and rebuked, are deemed “thin-skinned and weak minded.”

The author of this article, Rebecca Nicholson, writes:

So if the right are calling the left snowflakes for being liberal, and the left are calling the right snowflakes for expressing offence, and the old are calling the young snowflakes for being too thin-skinned, and the young are pointing out that the older generation seem to be the most offended by what they’re doing, then the only winner is the phrase itself.

Her words tell a story that there is no sure way to win these arguments, but her observations should serve as a wake-up call. Do not take the comments personally. Instead, participate in local politics, keep yourself updated on breaking news from multiple websites – even websites with views that do not share your exact values – and do not let the comments get you down.

Staying well informed is a great way to stand above the rioting crowds, and it is also a great contribution to the cleanup of the Internet comment sections. If there are not enough rude and angry people in the comments, the discussions will eventually die out.

Keep on keeping on and please, don’t feed the trolls.