Posted by Rich/Mohican Press on March 05, 2000 at 05:04:35:
ABOVE: Finally ... Colonial Joe Hinson!
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OK, Lucy! You win! Well, not really. I could go on & on in a long & laborous exploration of my feelings & demonstrate to you all how jaded I have become over the past 3 years. I could give you multitudes of reasons as to why I've become cynical regarding the Internet ... why I need to closely examine each & every E-mail, every single post, to determine just how genuine it may, or may not be. I could tell you all just how draining it has all become ... I could. NAH!
I stumbled across this the other day while in the process of investigating a "spammer." It is right on target. It applies, absolutely, to some of what has gone on right here in the past, and, to a lesser degree, still does [go on]. It made me feel a hellava lot better!
"As someone in another newsgroup said, it's troll season.
For what it's worth......
We have two people here (at the moment, anyway) who have certain basic troll
characteristics:
They are unable or unwilling to take responsibility for their words or behavior.
They are unable or unwilling to consider the possibility that they have brought a great deal
of dislike upon themselves.
I don't know for certain, but my feeling is that each of them is filled with self-hate, and is
unable to face that issue.
OK.
I've dealt with self-haters before, and this is what you can expect:
The only thing they can do with their venom is to flush it out on other people. As a result,
everything they say about you is a reflection of their feelings about themselves.
Because of their self-hate, there is nothing that you can say that is as bad as what they see in
themselves. You can't hurt them, no matter how hard you try.
The only thing that relieves their self-hate is to see other people in pain. If you let them get to
you, that only encourages them. That's why they're here in the first place.
The point is that flaming them hurts you more than it hurts them.
What makes it worse--been here, seen this before, too--is that these trolls are insiders. Yes,
they hurt, they're depressed, they are at least as far down as any of us. What that means is
that they know all the right buttons to push to make us angry. They have no conscience that
prevents them from pushing those buttons.
That is the difference between them and us. They have turned abusive. Yes, that does make
a difference. I've encountered some recovering abusers on the net, and I learned a few things
from that experience. The one thing that sustains an abuser is denial; an abuser cannot allow
hirself to be open to the slightest possibility that sie is harming another human being. They
blame anyone and anything else in sight, but virtually all of that blame is directed at the
victim, in one way or another. Abusers REFUSE to take responsibility for their behavior.
In dealing with an abuser, particularly from a treatment perspective, the first and most
important step is to break that denial. It is not only breaking the denial about hurting other
people. It is essential to break the denial that they are not responsible for their behavior. They
must learn that they have to take responsibility for everything that they do, and it is a hard
lesson to teach.
Until an abuser's denial is broken, it is dangerous to give them any sympathy. Sympathy
gives them a way out, a way to avoid taking responsibility. Someone else made them the
way they are; they're not responsible. This is utter garbage, and to give them this opening is
truly a disservice.
So.
They are here to feed on our pain. We don't have to give them that satisfaction.
They stay only as long as we feed them well. If we want them to go, all we have to do is to
stop feeding them.
The solution for trolls is in two parts. First, recognize and understand that they are here to
hurt us. They way that they hurt us is to beat on us with their own rage. Recognize that
everything they say about us is a reflection of their own self-hate. Even when they hit our
triggers, it is their rage, their self-hatred that they are giving us. We don't have to let
ourselves be hurt by the fact that they hate themselves. We don't have to accept that. We
can let them drown in their self-hate, simply by ignoring them.
And that is the second part. If you want a troll to go away, ignore [him/her]. When no one
responds to them, they are left with their own venom. That is the last thing that a troll wants
to have to deal with.
Let us build an ASD zoo. Let us build cages, and put the appropriate names on those cages.
Then let us put a sign in front of those cages:
DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS.
Then, most importantly, let us not feed the animals. Killfile or ignore them, but do not
respond to them, and do not accept their pain as your own."
No offense, Gnome ... Are Trolls & Gnomes the same thing???
Seriously, this could have been written as a direct response to the sour happenings here in MohicanLand over the years. I was floored.
Coupled with some refreshingly unique posts from Many Flags & Co., Doc Mary's unrelenting wit, and a good, old fashioned Mohicans discussion on DDL's thumbs, and I feel a whole lot better. Simply, last week I just wasn't feeling up to the task.
Skillfully avoiding the issue(s), I'll tell you all this. There will be comprehensive companion guide to "On the Trail of the Last of the Mohicans" released this summer. Not only will I elaborate further on the film's locations, adding a bunch more tidbits learned through the years, but the book will be a reflection, a rambling journey through the streets of MohicanLand. In a part of it, hopefully in a mostly humorous vein, we will explore the detrimental issues pervading MohicanLand. I'm looking forward to doing it, once time permits!
Along those lines, I need to enlist your help. For possible inclusion in the book, anonymously if requested, I'd like some feedback on what this has all meant to you, in your life. That's it. No restrictions. Whatever, or wherever, you feel you'd want to go with it. It's YOUR perspective. Sending them via e-mail is fine. I hope to hear from several of you before long!!
Minor updates throughout the Site, but the main thing I want to mention is the Gathering. We are well on our way to having T-Shirts now. Will preview them & announce it to you ASAP. Meanwhile, do look into the Wampum Sash & Choker Raffle. These are exact replicas, made of real wampum. A real collector's item. Tickets, if still available, will be offered for purchase at the Gathering. Right now, you can reserve tickets through the mail. You don't have to attend the Gathering to be a participant. Simply send in your check for up to 3 tickets. Good luck to all!
Don't forget, too ... Sign up NOW!!!
So ... a weird "update," I know. Better than NO update?? I don't know. Your call!
Do send me some input for the "Companion Guide." Thanks!