fubarobfusco comments on "Politics is the mind-killer" is the mind-killer - Less Wrong

35 Post author: thomblake 26 January 2012 03:55PM

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Comment author: fubarobfusco 26 January 2012 10:14:43PM 8 points [-]

I'm curious what you mean by "well-meaning troll". The way I use the word, a "troll" is someone who posts for the enjoyment of disrupting discussions, pissing people off, or wasting people's time and making them look foolish. As such, "well-meaning troll" is an oxymoron.

Comment author: Nornagest 27 January 2012 12:05:28AM 5 points [-]

This probably isn't what the OP means by it, but I've encountered a number of trolls who justified, or rationalized, their trolling by claiming to act as a counter to groupthink, or as predators in the ecosystem of ideas, or as some kind of Socratic gadfly. It's up to you how much you want to trust those claims, but they are arguably altruistic and do seem consistent with the definition you offer.

Comment author: thomblake 27 January 2012 04:02:51PM 4 points [-]

I'm curious what you mean by "well-meaning troll".

Basically, the posts were exactly what a troll would post, but I get the impression they were not posted by way of trollish intentions. Since consequences are what matters, 'troll' is still a good description.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is useful to refer to "that duck" even if you think it's not a duck. It is actually a cleverly-disguised kitten with a speech impediment.

Comment author: lessdazed 26 January 2012 10:35:15PM 0 points [-]

As such, "well-meaning troll" is an oxymoron.

Would the sentence "As such, "well-meaning troll" is an oxymoron by definition," have a different meaning than what you wrote?

Comment author: fubarobfusco 27 January 2012 12:00:15AM 1 point [-]

Yes, it would. My intent was to present my definition and ask what one the poster was using, since it clearly differed.