This diary is intended to remind you trusted users to be careful before you use your troll rating, or perhaps to garner further troll-points and many tasty recipes if I'm way off the mark. Either way, enjoy!
I am a regular (frankly, obsessive) reader of the fine stories and diaries on Daily Kos. I comment regularly, often posting snarky one-liners downthread when people are beginning to turn to the humorous aspects of a subject. However, I have yet to achieve the status of a "Trusted User"; my diary contributions have been limited due to the fact that you all always pick the good ideas before I can think of them; actually, that's why I come here. Anyway, imagine my surprise and shame this evening upon checking whether or not anyone noticed any of my comments to find that I am... a Troll.
As most of us have probably noticed, hardly a single thread discussing one of the Democratic candidates for President has been free of rancor. Whether the topic is "Hillary Clinton is Our Only Hope", or "I Will Never Vote for Hillary Because...", or "Hillary's Position on Postal Rates Explained", you can be certain that soon the mud will be slung. I have enjoyed the constant dissolution of these otherwise informative threads into bickering and unfounded accusations as much as the next guy.
But I stepped over the line. Sold my soul. Dishonored my ancestors. I got Troll Rated! How, you may ask (if you're still reading)? I entered into a discussion of the merits of Hillary Clinton as a candidate yesterday, in a diary which since has been deleted (draw your own conclusions there).
What was this egregious offense to Kossackdom? How did I violate every convention of decency, goodness and humanity? Well, be prepared for a harrowing journey into the dark, tortured recesses of a Troll's soul.
First, let me set the context of my comment. One person had made what I had considered to be a humorous comment, even in the context of this twisted, runaway train of a discussion. If I remember correctly, the comment was along the lines of the following:
Warning: Simulated Comment reconstructed from memory; may not be 100% accurate!
Oh sure, we all know Clinton's like Hitler, Stalin and Satan rolled into one!
I, being the fool that I am, assumed that the comment was made in jest, and that others would recognize this too. Therefore I responded as follows, thinking myself quite the wit:
Warning: Facsimile of Banned Comment: may offend those with sensitive constitutions!
* [new] Don't forget (0+ / 1-)
She killed Vince Foster with her bare hands, too.
Uh, yeah.
by Morlock on Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 01:13:49 PM PST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
View Story | 165 comments
I again, perhaps foolishly, assumed that anybody who saw my comment would recognize that it was not serious and intended to be humorous. Note that I am not suggesting that anyone would necessarily find this comment funny; humor, after all, is quite subjective. It never crossed my mind that anyone who has poured through enough diaries and stories to achieve the hallowed status of Trusted User would not even realize that this comment was meant as a joke, extended the ridiculous ironic humor of the comment I was responding to.
Well, what's the point of this diary, other than to waste your valuable time? To suggest that those with the power to troll-rate avoid the tendency to have an itchy 'TR'igger finger. I doubt I'll ever achieve Trusted User status, and I've gotten a few TR'ed comments in my time here, but I agree that care should be exercised when wielding the awesome power of the Troll Rating. In closing, let me quote the pretend words of one of the most respected commenters here on Daily Kos who I just made up, who might have said,
"You've only got 5 Troll Rates a day. Think before you use them."