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alibi_shopI ran across someone recalling the early generations of troll commenters on Usenet [message board-ish system of the '80s and '90s], and it reminded me that I actually spent a couple years hanging out on there a lot, mostly in a handful of literary and science-fiction-related groups—and was a little freaked out by all the strange ways people would behave. I'd kind of seen trolls and flamewars on dial-up bulletin boards before, but nothing on this scale.
Some guys were into really elaborate trolling games, where they were trying to bother people in a certain style. The one I remember best is that someone would show up in a book group and ask a really vague, naïve question like: "So, what style does James Joyce write in?" Anyone who'd been there for a while would recognize the shtick and ignore it. But newer people would earnestly try to figure out what the guy was talking about, and he would keep leading them on with confused-sounding replies, like: "If Joyce writes in multiple styles, which is considered to be the best?" Several months later, this would start all over again. It was a dickish game, but it did at least take some creative ability.
Some guys were into really elaborate trolling games, where they were trying to bother people in a certain style. The one I remember best is that someone would show up in a book group and ask a really vague, naïve question like: "So, what style does James Joyce write in?" Anyone who'd been there for a while would recognize the shtick and ignore it. But newer people would earnestly try to figure out what the guy was talking about, and he would keep leading them on with confused-sounding replies, like: "If Joyce writes in multiple styles, which is considered to be the best?" Several months later, this would start all over again. It was a dickish game, but it did at least take some creative ability.
