Jonathan Carter <j...@debian.org> writes: > I understand the nature of trolls and not wanting to feed them, but it > is entirely possible to denounce them without giving them fuel, even > though it can be like walking a tightrope at times.
It also matters who the person is. A troll in the most classic Usenet sense is someone who isn't part of the community who drops in to post something provocative to try to get a reaction. The definition has broadened over time, but that's the sense in which that maxim was originally developed. When faced with someone from the outside with no investment in the community who is just trying to rile people up for amusement, not reacting usually means they'll get bored and go somewhere else, and was often the fastest way to end the disruption. Hence that saying. Someone who is part of the community, and certainly someone who is a member of the project, is not a troll by that definition, and I think it's very questionable whether the maxim applies. They're already invested in the community. They're unlikely to just go away if they don't get a reaction, and may not have the same motives as someone just trying to provoke reactions for entertainment. Ignoring them is less an effective way to minimize disruption and a lot more like letting your uncle go off on a tirade of abuse against your cousin. Also, it's worth thinking about the fundamental mismatch between welcoming someone as part of our community and saying they're a troll who should be ignored (not fed). I don't think those two things are compatible. Members of the community are by definition people who we don't want to ignore and don't want to assume are just poking people for their own entertainment. If they *are* doing that, they should be shown the door. Harassing other people for one's own personal amusement is abuse. It is destructive and awful behavior that will hurt a community deeply if it is tolerated. -- Russ Allbery (r...@debian.org) <https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
