Re: Why do newsgroup moderators go to so much trouble to rehabilitate problem users?

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From	pschleck@panix.com (Paul W. Schleck)
Newsgroups	alt.fan.usenet, alt.culture.usenet, news.groups
Subject	Re: Why do newsgroup moderators go to so much trouble to rehabilitate problem users?
Date	Mon, 25 May 2026 21:09:16 -0000 (UTC)
Organization	PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
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Cross-posted to 3 groups.

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In <vintageapplemac-2505261855100001@pmg3> vintageapplemac@gmail.com (scole) writes:

 [...]

>Do not feed the trolls, the truest piece of internet wisdom ever uttered,
>and I say that as someone who has enjoyed my fair share of trolling.
>Ignore us and we lose interest, and move on to the next mark and try to
>get a bite. That's the game, my friend. People are arseholes, that'll
>never change.

But isn't a solution that requires the perfect cooperation of
everyone, everywhere, now, and in the future, hopelessly brittle, and
therefore impractical?  Doesn't it just serve as a excuse to transfer
blame to the victim?  Has this strategy ever worked long-term on an
unmoderated newsgroup in the modern era of general public-access
Internet (post-Eternal September)?  Furthermore, what stops ignored
trolls from going on the offensive with stalking, harassment, threats,
doxxing, etc.?  Or even prevents the trolls from turning on each
other, which we have also seen in the past?  How useful is a newsgroup
that is all trolls, because everyone with something useful to say is
ignoring them, and not contributing?

What do you think of the following advice?:

(Disable JavaScript in your browser to read the linked article at theverge.com)

The conventional wisdom about not feeding trolls makes online abuse worse - The Verge
https://www.reddit.com/r/ClassicUsenet/comments/uiaxyk/the_conventional_wisdom_about_not_feeding_trolls/

"Do not feed the trolls" also seems to be arguments #4 and 6 in the
following list:

Common fallacious arguments against moderated newsgroups
https://www.reddit.com/r/ClassicUsenet/comments/udu379/common_fallacious_arguments_against_moderated/

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Why do newsgroup moderators go to so much trouble to rehabilitate problem users? pschleck@panix.com (Paul W. Schleck) - 2026-05-25 15:05 +0000
  Re: Why do newsgroup moderators go to so much trouble to rehabilitate problem users? vintageapplemac@gmail.com (scole) - 2026-05-25 18:55 +0100
    Re: Why do newsgroup moderators go to so much trouble to rehabilitate problem users? pschleck@panix.com (Paul W. Schleck) - 2026-05-25 21:09 +0000

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