Internet trolls are some of the most annoying and, frankly, pathetic people in the world. They seem to exist purely for the purpose of making obnoxious comments on articles and blog posts. It’s like they get their jollies from simply being jerks.
Trolls about a certain subject seem to be, in many ways, absolutely the same, though. Take anti-gun trolls. They seem to be reading from a playbook (which could be the case). Lee Williams shares the commonalities that he has seen in anti-gun trolls over the years:
They’re incapable of presenting and supporting a logical argument: The trolls’ basic mantra is — and I’ve cleaned this up a lot — Guns are bad. Therefore, gun owners are bad. I have yet to encounter a single one who’s capable of supporting this “argument,” or even parroting a simple anti-gun talking point — the kind Demanding Moms and Brady are always proselytizing. All they’d need to do is visit one of their websites and write down a few catch phrases but, alas, this would require research and reading, which I’ve found are not their strengths.
They’re penis-obsessed: If I had a dollar for every time penis or one of its synonyms were used in a troll’s post I’d be able to afford a Krebs Custom KV-13 Mod 2. Call them out on their foolishness and they’ll respond with a rant that’s guaranteed to include several variations of terms for the male member. They’re obsessed with the word, as well as with conflating it with firearms.
They’re anonymous: Trolls never post anything under their own name. They go to great lengths to conceal their identity — fake Facebook accounts and email addresses. We discovered one troll who was using a proxy server in India to post anonymously on our website. Perhaps the trolls have formed their own NSA.
They’re profane: I don’t ban anyone for using bad language. Some sites do, but for me it would be a bit hypocritical. However, the antis who have visited our site use language that almost makes me blush — especially when someone calls them out on their BS.
They’re lone
wolvessheeple: Most trolls operate by themselves. I’ve yet to encounter one who shares their bitch-and-run posts. I’m guessing most suffer from a distinct lack of social media friends or followers.They’re anti-American: Nothing is sacred to trolls. They bash God, guns, America and our military all with equal glee. They don’t seem to understand that their right to post their foolishness was paid for with the blood of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who, of course, didn’t use penis references to vanquish our foes.
Whether you love them or hate them, it’s true that anti-gun “crusaders” appear to be reading off of the same script about how to be general pains to people who just want to live their own lives and enjoy their guns. It’s utterly silly.
Williams lists six common characteristics of anti-gun trolls. Have you noticed others? Tell us below.