When Trolls Wear Princess Dresses by @JoRobinson176

We’re all allowed to be as mean as we want to trolls when they rear their ugly heads. It’s probably not a good idea though, and reporting and blocking the swine can be just as satisfying as having a nice little square of bubble-wrap to play with, if ignoring them is too much to ask. This is all very well, and nicely cut and dried. There is another breed around the internet too though, who somehow manage to be trolls “under the radar”. They like to show people up in “nice” ways, while at the same time appearing to be nice themselves – if you get my drift. I don’t buy this crap though. Unless someone openly attacks you or yours first, why would you be mean simply because you disagree with them? I’m not talking about the hilariously offensively filthy lurkers in the comments sections of some newsletters around and about, but often bloggers with their own avid followers who think that they’re just the coolest thing since ice-cream. They’re subtle, and while coming across as helpful and benign, they often inject little bits of venom where they can – sometimes disguised as “humour”. Well, as far as I’m concerned mean is mean, no matter how much honey you coat it with. I prefer the straight in your face evil trolls to these guys, who probably don’t even realise just how horrible their actions are, because they’re too busy basking in the joy of being “right”. Often it’s pretty obvious that the reasons for these behaviours are rooted in envy, which doesn’t often help heal the feelings of gentle souls so insidiously attacked, but it’s still pure old green eyes at work.

Man Sucking Lemon

Image: Ryan McGuire

I’ve only been properly knocked for a loop once, where the attacker successfully masked the attack by posing as a little injured puppy, shortly after I joined Facebook years ago. Good luck trying that sort of thing with me now though. I reckon that’s probably the reason why I don’t often go there, and when I do, I still tread very lightly. I’m a very happy bunny on all my other sites though, and so far I’ve generally managed to ignore the couple of tiny trolls that have attempted to get up my nostril. I’m unlikely to swat them with any particular force unless I really lose my temper, which is quite hard to get me to do. I find it much more satisfying to incinerate them legitimately. Occasionally I’ll see them getting up to their nastiness elsewhere, and I’ll shake my head and move on, unless of course they happen to injure a friend of mine. This can result in the awakening of that scary one thing of mine that is a hundred percent Irish – the temper. Luckily my friends are genuinely nice people, and able to rise above such pettiness. It helps to understand what causes this behaviour when you feel an uncalled for shot across your bow. It’s just one of those poor souls who truly believe that insulting someone else is the road to their own coolness, and get to put on their cool happy faces when their followers like them up when they try and make someone better than them look small. Their cool happy face.  Like so.

Pulling Face
Image: Ryan McGuire

There isn’t much you can do about these things apart from moving right along. Definitely try and do that if you can. Never break your stride for too long because of them, and brush the painful nip of their caustic “wit” away just as quickly as you can. People who get up to these things aren’t worth any of your time. There’s something you have, or are, that will always instil in some strangers along the path of your life the desire to try and bring you down. Don’t ever let them. Ignore the mean-spirited sods and treasure the wonderful friends that you do have. If what you share with the world is genuine, and coming from a good place inside your heart or mind, you’re on the right track. Make sure that those who you take advice from genuinely have your best interests at heart, even if they make a tiny oops along the way – we all do. Beware of those who only want to “help” you to make themselves look good, because often the tools that they give you to use are wrong, and could get you hurt.

Man using banana as a gun
Image: Ryan McGuire

There will always be some little ball of envious rage lurking somewhere, outwardly wearing robes of light and a halo, just waiting to pounce on someone who they feel needs “bringing down a peg or two”. The bigger you get in your chosen space, the bigger the apparent benefit to showing you up will be to these people. Well. Pfftt. Never mind them. You just carry on being you, and move past and say good luck to the hindmost trolls, with their clever little humble-brag pokes.

Man in thong on bicycle

Image Credit: Pixabay

Originally appeared on Jo Robinson’s Blog.

 

Jo Robinson

Jo Robinson Author“Jo Robinson is the resident Indie Author Guru of LWI. Visit her Amazon Author Page for numerous books she’s put out into the world through her  own sweat and tears. (And we hope not much blood involved.)  Click HERE for he blog, and HERE to follow her on TWITTER.”~Ronovan Hester

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Author: jorobinson176

South African writer.

18 thoughts on “When Trolls Wear Princess Dresses by @JoRobinson176”

  2. Good points Jo. I got a bad review in a sea of great ones and I practically lost my mind over it. It wasn’t just a bad review – it was a mean one. You can be honest without being hurtful. My mother always told me – if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. I think she got that from Bambi’s mother! 😉 Hope you are having a great New Year! ~Elle

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    1. ” if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”
      So you think everybody criticizing should not be allowed to point out flaws in a book or a story? Sorry, I don’t buy that. We live and we learn. My friends point out mistakes in my stories – and I get better because of that.
      That does not mean a critic should get PERSONAL. It should come with reasoning and at best give examples. But sometimes a book/story is that bad that you do not have any nice thing to say about the text at all. Should that criticism then be withheld?

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      1. I’m sorry Fran. Maybe I didn’t word that right. Constructive criticism is always welcome as long as the commenter doesn’t get mean about it. Yes, you are right. We writers do get better as we learn what not to do from our readers. I was referring to a negative review on my book. The reviewer was not happy at all because she bought the book as a self-help book and it was obviously just a fiction story. I have not found anywhere at all where it’s listed or even talked about being a self-help book. She wasn’t very happy and slammed me for it. It made me feel as though it was personal.
        Hope you have a wonderful day! ~Elle

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        1. Of course I agree that criticism should be respectful, should tell the critisized where the problem lies – and if the buyer bought a book by a title alone she was in no way right to criticize you for not delivering what she thought was coming forward. I read rather varied – but I still try to find out what is hidden behind a certain title before I buy a book. As it should be.
          I did not take up on you criticizing this reader – as I do not know anything about the book or the criticism – I just doubt the “if you cannot say anything nice say nothing” is the right approach. That is mollycoddling. We all need brave friends who are not afraid to tell us an unpleasant truth now and then. Not always, of course. But when we really need to be put right. (Take for example my inability to come up with halfway authentic sounding names – my friend is right to point out that a name like – just an example – Bwarf the Dwarf is not really cutting it. I have other rather consistent flaws in my writing – illogical twists, rather wooden dialogue – which I only slowly start adressing because of that constant criticism) we need a voice of blatant honesty. Sometimes a soft approach just does not do the trick.

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  8. I know well the trolls of the Roleplaying World but so far not in the writing world. I will keep my eye out however because as you say those that bitch waste their time not mine. thank you for this post am reblogging.

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  11. Gosh I’m so glad someone went and wrote about trolls. I agree with you, it’s so much more better if you just ignore them and block them and move on. A couple of weeks ago I was attacked by two trolls at once; for some reason they had taken umbrage not just with my article, but with me itself. It got really nasty although I tried and tried to be polite till the very end. Even as I blocked them I was shaking my head, thinking such a good opportunity for a healthy debate had been ruined. You’re absolutely right about the fact that it’s envy that eggs them on to attack you. Thanks again for this really helpful article!

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  14. Ha. Brings to mind one called Issendai who followed an author around the Internet for 6-7 years and wrote an elaborate “humor” critique of her book, then when the author politely asked her if she would remove it after several years, LIED to her ‘followers’ that the author was taking legal action and got them all to swarm the author with fake ratings.

    All while playing the victim. What a slimewench.

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