Confessions of a Professional Troll

[Lightning Rod]

I'm being more and more amazed by the political polarity in our country. It's very evident on the web.

I've been publishing The Poet's Eye for close to seven years on numerous web locations. It has appeared here on S8 since the beginning but S8 accounts for only a small fraction of my readership because it's a very small place. The other day, in the process of promoting The Poet's Eye, I made a post on a conservative, tea party leaning web site. Mostly in the past I have published on sites that were fairly left-leaning. I have been publishing for several years on Daily Kos for example. The site I'm talking about appears to be in that league in circulation, a leading conservative site. Well, figuring that I might be spending too much time preaching to the choir, I decided to post articles and links at places that might not be as friendly to my message which is commonly perceived as a liberal one.

I posted the recent light-hearted piece about Christine O'Donnell and BozoGate. It was hardly partisan polemic. The place erupted. I have never been called a troll in so many different ways. It seems that the term 'troll' has taken on the meaning of 'anyone who disagrees with the party line.' There were quickly about a hundred responses complete with some very clever stock pictures of trolls and people getting 'zapped' and insults with acronyms that I didn't understand. It was a swarm. They were on me like white blood cells on an invader in the bloodstream. It was obviously a familiar and cherished local ritual to tar and feather the outsider before running them out of town on a rail. I was quite entertained. It had been some time since anyone invested so much imagination in the cause of my defamation. It reminded me of what a caustic place the web can be and of the sad level of polarization we see in our nation.

Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that The Poet's Eye circulation has been growing nicely. Last week I had over a thousand discreet readers. I still can't get in over at the Huffington Post. I guess I'm too far out there for them. I find that a certain humorlessness is what the far left and the far right both have in common.

[Arcadia]

I find that a certain humorlessness is what the far left and the far right both have in common. do you want devote readers? go there..!

[Lightning Rod]

The whole thing amuses me greatly, Veronica. I'm not a political idealogue, I'm a humorist. I don't have the attention span to be partisan. I'm neither liberal nor conservative. I make fun of them both. The right is just an easier target than the left at this particular time. So to most people I seem like a liberal.

[mtmynd]

What site did this experience happen to you, eLRod? I'd like to read (some of) those comments.

I occasionally will post a reply to some topic or another that I'd like to comment on on MSNBC. They have this deal at the end of their articles where Joe or Jane Doe can offer their opinion. Sadly to say, the majority of comments are intolerable to read, much less understand... curiously, for what seems to be the most vile and hate-filled comments to be submitted on what most Conservatives feel is a 'liberal biased media - MSNBC' is odd to me. If these folks are so-called conservatives, why frequent a so-called liberal news site?

Do these hate mongers and downright trolls frequent every media site despite the site's political side they take? Inquiring minds would like to know...

[Lightning Rod]

The whole tone of the liberal-conservative polarity has just become so ugly and petty. They have both become pejorative terms depending on whose mouth speaks them. Conservatives assume that they know what liberals think and liberals put words into the mouths of the conservatives. They both limit themselves with these labels. My experience on the conservative web site didn't surprise me. I was a little surprised that they were so uniform in their intolerance of any new ideas and were completely beyond the concept of laughing at themselves a little bit. The site is called Free Republic. Another thing that amuses me about both the right and left is how the names of their organizations are so completely oxymoronic.

[hester_prynne]

I went onto a progressive chat and they called me a troll there! At first anyway...I kept telling them I'm certainly no tea bagger trolling, and they wouldn't believe me!
Frankly, i'm glad for the ticket out of them.
H

[Steve Plonk]

LRod, I like your posts and sometimes find myself almost laughing out of my seat. I know what you mean about some sites. It does seem like a sense of humor isn't appreciated...I am fortunate to have relocated old buddies here at Studio Eight. (Moreover, I also don't think some folks on the extreme left and extreme right appreciate parody and/or satire.)

I occasionally post on a progressive/middle site called "Lean Left". It's a maverick site and they accept just about anyone--including those with an offbeat
sense of humor. As you probably already know, I also post on Litkicks.com.
Lastly, one of the sites I post on is called "Wampum Wabanaki.com. It is an Amerindian/Native American site which also deals with politics and health issues.
Some of the sites where I used to post are now defunct--as are some of the 'zines I used to be published in. I miss the now defunct sites and 'zines.

[Lightning Rod]

Thanks Steve

Ok cec, you wanted to see the site? I was just googling something with my name in it and this came up on the front page. This is the event that I mentioned.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/blogg ... ts?page=68

I thought it was pretty damned funny.

[Doreen Peri]

is that the same site you used to go to years ago which was called "Be Yourself" at the time? Looks sorta the same...