Member-only story
Taming the Trolls
For what it’s worth
I know. I know. It’s a waste of time. Don’t get pulled in by trolls. But I did. And I have just a little story that may be useful. A little lesson in taming the trolls.
I don’t think I’m the only one who longs for a time when people had manners, that we could exchange ideas respectfully without calling each other names. I know social media exchanges are different from real life ones, but still. If we do spend some of our precious time in this online world, is it unreasonable to ask for civility?
The most seemingly non-controversial news items are being used as on-ramps for scoring points for your side. Example, in my hometown of Kona, Hawaii, a wonderful children’s science museum had to close, citing a steep rent increase.
This news was posted on Instagram by Big Island Now. A commenter wrote: “Joe Biden’s Build Back Bamboozled. We keep printing money to send to over 50 countries, most of which hate us and here we see the effects … inflation.”
I guess because I love that museum and am sad about its closure I got defensive. I knew that the Marketplace where it was located is notorious for losing tenants. So I got pulled in to reply:
Me: That’s so inappropriate to link this closure to Biden. Did you support? Did you ask the museum folks if they blame…
