A trollspotter is somebody who makes a habit of identifying trolls as they ply their loathsome trade. Trollspotters come in both good and bad flavors; some of them will wait until a troll thread is dying down and then post congratulations, while others will immediately and loudly try to rumble the troll, thereby spoiling the fun for everybody. The "good" trollspotters are easy enough to suss out, but the "bad" ones are a poser. Why? It often seems to me like they just hate to see anybody having fun. I've noticed that the "bad" trollspotters on Slashdot (on everything they seem to be quite different) tend to be hostile, uneducated, and literal-minded. The "good" trollspotters are the sort of people I'd choose to hang out with. It could be that "bad" trollspotters just miss the point of trolling entirely.

trollspotter: one who dislikes seeing people taken for a ride by a troll.

thereby spoiling the fun for everybody What makes you think that all the other people are having fun? An outrageous troll like Nuclear war is not dangerous is the exception. Even then, it is laughing at a particular victim. I object to finding it funny, because it means being lowered to your level of inflicting pain on the weakest as the wellspring of your humour.

I see most trolls as like going on a picnic and being subjected those annoying kids belonging to another family group, screaming and howling all afternoon. Just another avoidable childish bratty inconsiderate irritation in a public space.

just hate to see anybody having fun ... at other people's expense. Yes. Now grow up and stop gobbing off the bridge. Yes, tricking people demonstrates that you were, if nothing else, cleverer than them for one moment. You spend a lot of time and effort working on that, don't you? It's narcissistic and sociopathic. Hooray for your undernourished ego. Now get over it already and find a constructive way to be a better person.

"bad" trollspotters just miss the point of trolling entirely. Besides pissing in the well, what would that point be?

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