#concern-trolling

[readythefanons]

I don't presume to speak for ALL fanfic writers, but I'll happily go on the record and say that I LOVE getting comments* on my fics, regardless of how recent they are. Posted today? Posted months ago? Posted 7 years ago? YES PLEASE.

Old fandom? Current fandom? Random one-off? Yep yep yep.

For me, getting a comment on an old fic is like bumping into an old friend and seeing that they're doing well. It's just lovely that this thing I put time and love into is still out there, still being found, and still being enjoyed.

I encourage people who are unsure about commenting on "old" fics to give it a try. You might make someone's day!

[7rlol]

Spotting the Trolls: Expedite and Concern Trolling

TL;DR: Learn to spot and counteract expedite and concern trolling to foster genuine dialogue.

Trolls are everywhere. They’re lurking in comment sections, social media threads, and even in your inbox. But not all trolls are created equal. Some are masters of disguise, using tactics like expedite and concern trolling to derail conversations and sow discord.

Expedite trolling is all about urgency. It’s when someone demands immediate action or answers, often without providing any real context or understanding of the issue. They might say something like, “Why haven’t you fixed this yet?” or “This needs to be done now!” The goal is to create pressure and chaos, not to contribute constructively. Just last week, a minor uproar erupted over a delayed software update, with expedite trolls fanning the flames by demanding impossible timelines.

Concern trolling, on the other hand, is more insidious. It’s when someone pretends to be on your side, expressing fake concern to undermine your position. They might say, “I’m just worried about how this will affect your reputation,” or “I support you, but have you considered how this looks?” The aim is to plant seeds of doubt and insecurity.

Here’s how to spot these tactics:

Check the urgency: Is the demand for immediate action reasonable, or is it just creating unnecessary pressure?

Examine the concern: Is the concern genuine, or does it seem like a veiled attempt to undermine?

Look for patterns: Are these comments part of a larger pattern of disruption or negativity?

By recognizing these tactics, you can counteract them effectively. Respond with calm, reasoned arguments, and don’t be afraid to call out bad-faith behavior when you see it. Remember, fostering genuine dialogue is key to a strong, free society.

So next time you encounter a troll, ask yourself: Are they really trying to help, or are they just trying to stir the pot?

[7rlol]

The Halcyon Days of Concern Trolling

TL;DR: Concern trolling masquerades as genuine worry but aims to undermine rather than support.

Ah, the halcyon days of the internet, where every comment section is a bastion of goodwill and sincerity. Or not. Concern trolling is the art of pretending to be worried about an issue while actually trying to derail or undermine it. It’s like offering someone a hand only to pull it away at the last second.

In recent news, a minor uproar occurred when a local council decided to plant more trees in urban areas. A noble cause, right? Enter the concern trolls, who suddenly became experts in urban planning, worried about the “potential” for increased pollen allergies. Their real aim? To halt progress under the guise of caring.

So, how do you spot these wolves in sheep’s clothing? Here are a few telltale signs:

Exaggerated Concern: They often express over-the-top worry about a minor issue, making it seem like a deal-breaker.

Lack of Solutions: Genuine criticism usually comes with suggestions for improvement. Concern trolls rarely offer constructive feedback.

Shifting Goalposts: When one concern is addressed, they quickly find another, never satisfied with any resolution.

Next time you encounter a supposed well-wisher, ask yourself: Are they offering solutions, or just problems? Are they open to dialogue, or do they just want to argue? Recognizing these patterns can help you engage more effectively online and protect your mental energy.

In a world where genuine dialogue is crucial for progress, let’s not let the concern trolls win. How can we foster more authentic conversations and weed out the bad actors?

[jensenscomedyelbows]

I do wonder at the people concern-trolling about the YANA videos showing 'stalking' never mentioning that both Jensen and Misha have had stalkers themselves. And though I definitely think taking that from the videos is silly/reading too much into it, both of them have earned the right to laugh at the idea a bit if they want to.

I don’t know, nonnie. I knew Jensen had had a stalker back in early 2013?, but didn’t know Misha had personal experience with this. Agree that both of them have earned the right to laugh at pretty much anything they want at this point. Again, I feel like if you don’t like what they’re putting out there, you should avoid it like the plague. Thanks for weighing in and being kind. <3

[secretsfromwholecloth]

As Thelemites, we're supposed to be minders of our own business par excellence. Instead, too many of us seem to find it easier to be all, "But mo-om, those brown people over there are being bad!" than to look at, and work to fix, the problems in our own lives and communities. This is the sort of attitude that allows certain ambulatory excreta to concern-troll about how "Feminism is important because Muslim countries, we don't need it here!" Cut that shit out immediately, Thelemic community. If you're more interested in puling about what's happening half a world away than in improving conditions in your own backyard that you can personally affect, I don't want to know you.

[cabell]

For the love of god, my mother needs to stop concern-trolling my pregnancy.

For the entirety of the first trimester, it was her periodically bringing up in conversation how her old OB (who had retired by the time she actually had me, but whom she saw afterward in some context) told her that she would have ended up having a C-section regardless of other circumstances because her hips were so narrow.

This, of course, is total bullshit.  There is no correlation between hip measurement and C-section rate, or even difficulty of labor.  Whether her doctor was just misinformed or lying to make her feel better, I have no idea, but my mother had a C-section because they induced her and probably gave her a relatively early epidural, and labor did not progress and then I developed a fever (possibly because of the epidural; possibly because of fetal monitoring).

Last night she called me and asked, five minutes into the conversation, if my doctor thought I would be "able to have a normal vaginal delivery."  I said there was certainly no reason to think otherwise, just waiting for the goddamn hip measurement thing to come up again, but she surprised me by instead going on about how she was "prone to big babies, so that will probably be an issue."

I WEIGHED EIGHT POUNDS.  MY MIDDLE SISTER WEIGHED EIGHT POUNDS, TWO OUNCES.

The average newborn is seven and a half pounds.  There is an association between babies over eight and a half pounds and "difficult labor," but not C-section.  And anyway, eight pounds is NOT "BIG."

My youngest sister did weigh slightly over nine.  That is somewhat big.  But that's one out of three, and not a first pregnancy (first babies tend to be smaller).

I know a lot of people like having their parents around for the labor, but if my mother were there, I would need to be tranquilized before it even started.

[cabell]

  Excerpt:

Then, every time I used the damned thing, it wanted me to “weigh in.” The game reminded me that it had been “X” number of days since I had used it, and even though you don't have to set a target weight goal, there it was; the option to set myself up to fall off the edge of progress gained. I just didn't need a creepy personal trainer fat-shaming me on top of losing my job, my declining mobility issues, and an increasing relapse into body hatred.

Eventually, I couldn't use it. There were days I wanted to, but I would nearly have a panic attack at the thought of taking it out. I couldn't use the Wii Sports anymore, and I haven't used it again in a really long time.

What could have been a really positive experience for me, something the video game industry was trying to push, turned into a negative, fat-shaming, concern-trolling nightmare.

This piece pretty much sums up my relationship with the Wii Fit.  The only thing I would add is that its reliance on BMI as a measure of physical fitness is ludicrous, but even if you took that out all of this would still apply.