Fighting Back Against Trolls!
Photograph by Randy J Byrd
Going up against trolls is a really hard task in the music business. It’s something that I think we all need to deal with at some point, because that’s just sort of the brutal nature of the internet. I wanted to help you with this as it’s something that I think throws a lot of people off, especially early in their music careers.
The thing is, you have to see trolls for what they are and furthermore you need to realize that the best way to kill trolls is with kindness or making fun of yourself. Remember, engaging anger with anger is going to just make you shoot yourself in the foot.
Realizing What Trolls Are
Trolls are sad. Really simple as that. They don’t have some grand design, they’re just lonely assholes with nothing better to do. Seriously, think about what life must be like for some of these people. They’re going on the internet to make fun of random people they don’t even know so they can feel good about themselves.
When you are armed with this information, it becomes a lot easier to handle trolls and deal with their stupidity. I think this perspective really helps folks understand how to deal with them. It becomes more of a matter of pity than anything else at that point.
Killing Trolls With Kindness
One of the keys with trolls is to kill them with kindness. One of my favorite tactics is to act like the trolls comment was actually a compliment. So if they say, “I hope you die because of your horrible music!” then you could reply something like, “Oh, so I can make good music in heaven? Righteous!”
I know it sounds silly, but so often when you turn the other cheek trolls don’t even know what to do and generally just go and leave you alone. It really helps to make things a little bit easier to deal with. I know it’s not always easy in the moment, but trust me above all you do not want to engage trolls with anger. This just leads to further frustration.
Why You Don’t Fight Fire With Fire
Look, most people understand trolls are just random losers from around the internet. They aren’t clever and they don’t have anything going on. If you go in and engage with those people then you are getting dragged down to their level. That’s exactly what they want so they can beat you over the head with their anger.
Don’t give other people this power over you. It gives them free real estate inside your head. Don’t try to troll back because they don’t care, trust me. Instead, just focus on sharing the love and realizing that trolls are just losers who you can’t really do anything about other than say a kind word and try to help be a little less crap.
Anyway, dealing with trolls is an art form. It’s not always self-evident and does require a bit of trial and error. Ultimately, you just gotta realize how sad trolls are, kill them with kindness, and make sure you never get down to their level which is how they win.
Doomed & Stoned · Doomed Discussions: NEGATIVITY
Matt Bacon (IG: mattbacon666) with Dropout Media is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. You can read other articles in the series by clicking the “Bacon’s Blog” hashtag below. Matt can also be heard on the Dumb & Dumbest podcast, which he co-hosts with Curtis Dewar of Dewar PR.
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