On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, Jerome Fine wrote:
> > There's nothing anyone here can say that would convince me that this
> > message is anything but a very enthusiastic and rather caustic TROLL.
>
> Jerome Fine replies:
>
> Thank you for the compliment - was it? What does TROLL stand for.
> If you are going to pay me a compliment, at least have the courtesy
> of explaining it. Thank you.
A "troll" is something someone says in order to elicit flammable vitriole
from unwitting passersby (i.e. much in the same way one "trolls" for
fish...you cast out a line and drag it behind your boat hoping some
hapless creature snags onto it).
So, in fact, you were being slightly insulted. However, I did not see
your comments as a "troll", but merely an opinion. Furthermore, I think
the acceptance of "trolling" as a concept in the sense that it was used
here is stupid. Sure, some people go out of their way to inflame an
issue, but the "troll" accusation is often overused, as people sometimes
can't tell the difference between an enthusiastic opinion and deliberate
blatherskite.
Sellam International Man of Intrigue and Danger
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Received on Tue Oct 10 2000 - 21:16:24 BST