I am an Internet Troll. This is something I haven't even told my closest friends but here I am telling the Internet. So, before you all start caps locking away I would like to ask if you could hear what I have to say first. Most people view Trolls as Internet bullies that viciously attack people online. Saying such things as, "go kill yourself", "you were adopted", and some more things that I probably shouldn't quote in this article. This is not the kind of Troll I am though. Most of you are probably saying, "right, you are just using that thought to justify your actions!" and you may be right. However, I would like to first explain what I troll and why I do it.
My favorite place to go is the YouTube comments. I typically go to a video of a recent political interview or a part of a show. I then watch the video. Then I go to the comments and look for about three different people who are clearly narrow minded. I then look at their comments and see if there are any holes in their argument. When they then attempt to rebut it works best to where you seem slightly pompous but not arrogant. When they then continue to try to argue I like to bring in outside sources and directly quote them in the comments. This does two things: slightly overwhelms them with the amount of text and the question do they read the entire thing and waste valuable time to call me out or just skim it and risk me calling them out on that. I then usually end on asking them what they actually mean by using a hypothetical situation.
Now why do I do this. I get joy out of seeing people angry. I get joy out of seeing someone's beliefs challenged and them getting enraged because they might not know how to explain why they believe what they believe. I get joy out of seeing someone who is so close minded holding on to their belief whenever it is challenged. If there is one thing I hate is arrogance. It angers me when someone has isolated themselves from different opinions and viewpoints. I often think of an idea that John Stuart Mill had. John Stuart Mill famously had a quote that suppression of hate speech was a disservice. Due to the fact that it would run the risks of not challenging our fundamental beliefs. Because if we don't question our beliefs or have them questioned for us we can not grow as a society.
This is why I troll people. I enjoy making people uncomfortable and forcing them to confront why they are uncomfortable. I enjoy forcing people to think. So, if you disagree with this article that is perfectly fine. But I only ask, before you rant or tell your friends about this article think. Think: "Why do I think this? Why do I feel this?"
