Should Agnostic.com expel or limit trolls? Free speech is a wonderful thing, and Agnostic.com is great. And yet, reading the hate and stupidity of trolls does not further the conversation, it only takes it backwards. Should Agnostic.com have a mechanism to register objections against trolls or to expel them altogether? Would voting them off the island be a meaningful loss?
1
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12 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Fabulous opportunities for cheap, funny, snarkiness! Let them live!
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Oct 11, 2018
0
Its not easy being a troll
Emanuele
Level 7
Oct 10, 2018
3
Don't feel so bad Troll,they do not like conservatives either
I've pulled a @thinktwice and thought twice about it: I like @jondspen's argument and see the value of self-reporting issues. The admins can definitely still take action if there is a history of abusive treatment, especially if the person is reported multiple times. That's my two cents.
PolyWolf
Level 7
Oct 10, 2018
0
There’s a difference between being a troll and being abusive. You can have a spirited disagreement without getting into name calling or denigrating other members. There’s got to be accountability at some point, we’re not children.
Green_eyes
Level 8
Oct 10, 2018
1
I agree with this. Very solid point.
If someone gets out of hand and ignores warnings I think yes.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Oct 10, 2018
2
I think everyone has an opinion on what is considered hate and stupidity and they don't always mesh. I think each person needs to decide for themselves what their limits are of accepting differences in opinions. You can either read, scroll past, post your own opposing opinion, block and even report. You have options. If you are only looking for things that align with what you think 100%, good luck. I prefer not to live in a desert with only one well to drink from...as long as there are no blatant threats or demeaning behavior, I think people should have the right to be as stupid in public as they want.
thinktwice
Level 8
Oct 10, 2018
5
I've been thinking how boring FB has become. It tailors to my political and social views so I never get conflicting ideas. I don't like this at all. It is great to hang around like minded folk but we do need to have our ideas challenged and be prepared to really listen to the opposing thoughts. We should be flexible and open to being wrong. I'm generalising here, obviously I'm not going to change my mind about religion!
What if their stupidity encroaches on someone? There probably needs to be a line to be drawn, but yes, I think we should be open to ideas. And reporting is always an option.
@MsDemeanour If we only feed ourselves with hate, we will hate. If we feed ourselves with variety, we will be enriched. As adults, we can filter out information as being factual or not and then start from there to form our opinions. It is when we have nothing to filter that we become robotic and lower in intellectual thought processes. I refuse to become what I loathe...a person who does not have the capability to think independently and fairly, who eats only hate and stupidity.
@PolyWolf We have to ask how their stupidity encroaches on others online...my guess is that in real life, they are not as brave under the guise of anonymity...it is easy to be a troll when you don't have to look a person in the eyes and think on your feet.
@thinktwice You are far more erudite than any one person should be allowed.
@PolyWolf lol There are some advantages to being my age ... mostly, you develop a thick skin and you don't put up with bullshit... ha ha
@thinktwice A sort of life callous. I like it.
@thinktwice We can hate the behaviour without hating the person ie making personal attacks on them. We can also hate the beliefs without hating the people. I believe religion to be divisive and unhelpful in a country of diversity. Indoctrination of children should be banned but that would be impossible to enact. I'm rigid in my lack of superstition. And I'm sceptical. But show me the evidence and I'll change my mind 
@MsDemeanour Nicely stated! I am buoyed with hope when I see others like me who, despite the indoctrination of childhood, were able to escape the bonds of religious dogma. Choosing evidentiary proof over "faith" has made my life much more enriched and diverse.
Define troll? A lot of people on here would say I am a troll b/c I don't accept the current zeitgeist that white men are evil and the root of all problems in the world. I typically call out racism or sexism, regardless of the race or sex of the person. I spent 6-yrs in the Marine Corps, serving beside other races and sexes. I was a single father raising two teen daughters and have seen the hypocrisy of our society. Yet every time you make an argument, people personally attack you and misdirect on a straw man tangent.
No...I think the best thing is to keep it open. There is a block option on here. If the person is a fool with what they say, you can block them. If you are the fool who lives in an echo chamber, you can still block them.
jondspen
Level 7
Oct 10, 2018
3
This is one of the few times I've disagreed with you (in regards to white men), but I respect your argument and opinion overall. There is a problem defining troll here, I think. I would certainly say even though we disagree on something so fundamental that you've always been at least nice to me.
Edit: And there's also reporting. It should be used as a last resort, but it does exist.
I haven't had an issue with trolls. It is those members who are looking for an argument or fight who have the issues.Each member has the right to block someone they think is a troll. I personally don't. I like people and don't find a need to control like others.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
Oct 10, 2018
1
aren't those trolls here for an argument? But I see your point. If we all refused to enter into their debate, they would get mighty frustrated or bored.
Yes. Some people seem just to want to disrupt other people's conversation and cause trouble, and the quality of the conversation here has fallen dramatically over the last six months or so which has caused a number of very interesting users to leave the site. If we want quality to increase again and more decent users to feel they can talk freely here without being attacked, we need to take action.
Jnei
Level 8
Oct 10, 2018
1
Enjoy being online again!
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