Maybe we should use this word instead when someone is deliberately shit-posting?

Provocateur - one who provokes

definition: [merriam-webster.com]

Troll/Snowflake/Trump Supporter/ReThuglican - I've seen all of those and more lovely words bandied about.

Yesterday it was "Mansplaining". (And yes if you do Mansplain for real - someone will call you on it - but when you're actually making a comment and not doing that? Gees!). I ended up blocked too. Kinda okay with that outcome. That is one judgmental person.

I wish when people disagreed they said "I disagree - this is why". Yes we get angry about disagreements when they hit where we live - but name calling - is going to end a conversation as fast as anything can.

Enough with the name calling. It's the reason I do so little FB. If I'd heard SJW or Snowflake one more time? I swear. ... Labeling as a way to belittle someone? Does not take a great mind.

Keeping an open mimd is well and good but mind that it isnt so open your brain falls out. Nonsensical, oft repeated and poorly thought out ideas ARE going to be torn to bits on a site filled with educated free thinkers.

These days anyone who has a different opinion is called a troll.

To my mind, name-calling is never anything but an admission of the inability to construct a rational argument.

I think it truly depends on what you're "inquiries" are, the response you're going to get. First of all, anybody who tells me they're "dedicated to finding the truth," usually ends up trying to proselytize me in that "they've found something" that I'm just not seeing because I'm closed minded.

There are a lot of topics that don't play well on this site... as it's a site dedicated to reason and science. Astrology, Law of Attraction, universal consciousness, everlasting hellfire, Nickelback... and most of your basic new age stuff... Oh, did I mention Nickelback?

Most of the trolls I come across are pushing one of those issues, and trying to convince the rest of us they're true. I think that's where the "breakdown" happens.

Recently I was accused of trolling which was not the case. I was truly interested in finding out how they would apply their position in light of some common sense . No one took on the debate I was looking to have rather they took offense that i would question their idea. I have no problem defending my ideas and would welcome the challenge because it would allow me to expand my knowledge and perhaps change my position regarding a particular issue that I had not considered. Is it wrong to seek this kind of knowledge?