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Trolls

By lex, on October 1st, 2009

Everybody gets them from time to time. Some folks just have a more graceful way of dealing with them than others.

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October 1st, 2009 | Tags: , | Category: Blogging, Military

22 comments to Trolls

  • Surfcaster
    October 1, 2009 at 7:22 am

    As a civie, I think I’d rather have the scientist do the scientist thing, the teacher do the teacher thing, and the geek do what I do (OK, really there are better geeks than I) and when the time comes down to batten down the hatches and man the trenches, I think it is best for the professional warrior to do that warrior thing. Know you role.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8IYFcUs7GOI/SgSHDTxWWyI/AAAAAAAAApA/LiUr3kv8LdE/s400/big_cup_of_shut_the_fuck_up+MOD.JPG

  • Idaho Joe
    October 1, 2009 at 7:43 am

    It always amazes me how people think they are protected by the right to free speech on other peoples blogs, and if you delete them or censor them you are taking away there rights. What about the rights of the Blogger? What about the rights of the Bloggers readers to read without being told they are wrong and stupid?

    I think one of the biggest disservices done to youth in the past 50 years or so is this whole discussion of our “rights.” Where in this discussion is the part about your rights being relative to my rights? Some kids nowadays know they have rights, but know very little about the responsibilities that come with them. The old shouting fire in a crowded theater thing comes to mind.

    The Blog Owners post was very informative, on how to keep a cool head and a civil (e-)tongue and still say you’re full of it. Great post.

  • Jim Collins
    October 1, 2009 at 8:06 am

    Idaho,
    They stopped teaching that when they dumped Civics from the requirements in high school. They can’t afford having the kids learn things like that or critical thinking, otherwise they might not drink the kool-aid.

  • virgil xenophon
    October 1, 2009 at 8:11 am

    Unfortunately, several sayings come immediately to mind: : “A Dialogue of the Deaf” and “Ships Passing in the Night” for starters. The longer I contemplate our political divide, the more I become convinced that it is, at core, genetics. Why do some people view the world and feel–neigh, are driven–to express their view/interpretation of existence–their take on this world– in poetry or paint while others find their beauty and explanatory power in mathematics or chemistry?

    If we accept this as a matter of psychic make-up–a make-up we deem to be at heart genetically driven–is not the way we process information, order and evaluate it also a function of genetics? Of course it is. The physical structure of our mind, the amt of gray & white matter, number of synapses, etc, is nothing but a function of genetics and resultant tissue growth. Michael Savage is right: “Liberalism (todays leftism) is a mental disease.” Or more accurately, as a friend of mine who resides in New Orleans once put it: “Liberals have a genetic disorder that does not allow them to accurately process reality–and thus live their entire lives in a state of denial.”

    A classic example of what I am talking about is an excellent article in the current “City Journal” by Heather MacDonald about LAs’ skid row entitled “The Truth About Policing and Skid Row.” It’s worth a read. All about liberal illusions versus reality. Go see @

    http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon0928hm.html

    • Michelle
      October 1, 2009 at 9:05 am

      I’m not so sure about that virgil.
      Most (all?) here would probably considering me a “liberal”, at least up to a point, no? And I suppose there’s a good chance that at least some (hopefully a minority!) of Lex’s loyal readers might even put me in your “genetic defect” category. Personally, I often wonder if those who go to the extreme on either side don’t have some sort of mental defect.

      My point? That although it’s easy to mouth off about the “other”, in reality, it’s far from that clear. If only life were so simple, eh?

      *And no, I didn’t take your comment as a personal insult; I was just responding to it as a general abstraction.

      • virgil xenophon
        October 1, 2009 at 9:38 am

        Michelle/

        You’re right, of course, there is an obvious wide “gray” area in the center overlapping both extremes as in overlapping circles in which the center
        shares overlapping area with both adj. sides. And it’s not ALL “nature” either. “Nurture” in the form of experience as conditions change as one moves thru life have an effect too, i.e., the well known phenomenon of the accretion of increasingly conservative beliefs as one ages, marries, acquires property, a mortgage and children, etc., and acquires real responsibilities in general–both personal and professional.

        And of course it can work the other way as when individuals are radicalized by traumatic events such as the Civil Rights movement in the South and wars such as Vietnam in the early sixties or Katrina more recently. Obviously, just as with athletic ability, the genetic component that orders the mind such that one tends to process information to confirm either a “conservative” or “leftist” pov is stronger in some more than in others–hence the huge numbers of people that fall within the moderate or “swing” category.

    • blackeagle603
      October 1, 2009 at 9:35 am

      VX,
      Maybe it’s just that we’ve gotten too civlized. We have too many societal safety belts and safety nets. The result is that foolish thinking and foolish behavior is a) not promptly and properly rewarded and b) not put on public display for others to see and learn of reaping and sowing.

      Put differently, the gene pool is low on chlorine.

  • DJ Elliott
    October 1, 2009 at 9:01 am

    I work on the principle of nuke-em and go. These are my posted rules at Montrose Toast.

    Site Comment Rules:

    Keep it polite.
    Keep it clean.
    Keep it on topic.
    Violators will be nuked. This is not public property.

    If you cannot follow those three basic rules, don’t comment here.

    If you feel the need to rant, get your own blog and rant there…

  • blackeagle603
    October 1, 2009 at 9:27 am

    Thanks for the link Lex. That guy’s is getting a bookmark. That’s some seriously motivating reading. It’s hellmen like him that have my son wanting to drop his ROTC scholarship and go straight to MCRD after freshman fall term. What am I going to tell him, “Don’t enlist and finish college later it’ll ruin your life — look at your dad?” Sigh…

  • G-man
    October 1, 2009 at 9:30 am

    As my Father used to say “arguing with a fool is worse than arguing with yourself. You, at least, listen”.

    I thought America’s 1stSgt quite eloquent and logical. The troll is thankful he remains anonymous.

  • Quartermaster
    October 1, 2009 at 10:10 am

    Another way was expressed by some person whose name now escapes my memory, “a geniius should never argue with a fool. People will have a hard time telling which is which.”

  • Surfcaster
    October 1, 2009 at 10:21 am

    Threadjack

    For lack of better to place to put this other than slight commonality with bloggin’ topic, freedom of speech, and a good scribe. Our friend and blogger, Cdr Salamander, is hanging up his uniform and beginning his days of his next career. Big thanks and best wishes to the ‘Phib: http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/

    /Threadjack

  • Casey
    October 1, 2009 at 10:37 am

    I would agree with the troll in the narrow sense that our warfighters are not warriors in the narrow sense of the word. They are, rather, soldiers.

    Short version: warriors are highly self-oriented, fight for fun, money, or glory, and will quit the battle when they so desire. They are amateurs in the sense that they fight for “love of the game.” They rarely if ever demonstrate any loyalty greater than to their current war leader.

    Soldiers -on the other hand- balance orientation between the the self and the polis; they fight when they must, or when they’re ordered into battle. Fun, money, or glory fall behind dedication to their team-mates, their families, and their country. They are professionals. This follows on to the last point; soldiers demonstrate a loyalty to something greater than themselves.

    Properly speaking, we should refer to American warfighters as citizen-soldiers, but that term fails to encompass our aviators, sailors, and Marines.

    In America, even the “lifers” rarely spend more than half of their adult life in uniform. Take the above mentioned ‘Phib for example. Sooner or later they return to citizen-only status, if you can call that “only.” They are not warriors.

    …And thank you, CDR, for your service. Godspeed in your new career.

    • Bill the Shoe
      October 2, 2009 at 5:34 am

      Concur with Casey. Another example for QM: Roman infantry of the late Republic/early Empire period vs. barbarians.

  • Quartermaster
    October 1, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    Casey, I think you are spot on. The Indian Tribes our ancestors displaced were warrior societies and look at what happened to them. The terms they thought in was one battle = entire war. We, OTH, thought in terms of series of campaigns = war. As a result, they would win a battle and go home. We might lose, but we would keep pushing until we won and terminated the threat. The result is easy to see, since we, and the displaced tribes, live with the results every day.

    It’s really a shame the left has little ability to process reality, and learn so little from history.

  • Kris, in New England
    October 2, 2009 at 6:34 am

    Very interesting Virgil. If I apply that to myself there is a definite correlation between nature & nurture.

    My family was always conservative – yet in my early teens and into my early 30s I was the liberal rebel in the family (with a brief digression around the age of 13-14). As I think back on it thru the lens of your proposition, I can see how much the nurture in my schools influenced and fomented my rebellion.

    As I entered my late 20s and early 30s – living on my own for 10 years, making a life for myself, my thought process started to mature. Then 9/11 came and the fence I had been sitting on for a few years crumbled and I fell firmly on the right.

    And have remained there ever since. And I doubt I’ll move again, which means the nature of my genetics has won out over nurture.

  • Brilliant « Checks with Chart
    October 2, 2009 at 10:05 am

    [...] onto this site via the Cap’n, and discovered this gem from America’s 1stSgt. Funny thing about young Marines; sometimes [...]

  • Mike
    October 2, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Lex, thanks for highlighting Castra Praetoria on your site. I really wasn’t expecting this kind of response to anything I had to say (itreally pisses off Hope when I say stuff like that).

    You also have some great comments here and if I may…

    Blackeagle, Thanks for the positive feedback. I apologize if my rhetoric ruins your son’s life. :-) But feel free to tell him that I said he can either be an officer that makes policy or simply the knuckledragger that enforces it like me.

    Casey and Quartermaster, I suppose it all depends on your definition of “warrior” which for my purposes I outlined in my post. I would go so far to say that being a warrior isn’t so much an occupation, but a lifestyle choice like any other. When I retire from the Marine Corps, I will not stop being a Marine or an American fighting man. I will also continue to train with my personal weapons which include knives, swords, spears, as well as firearms (and I do train in a koryu that uses those weapons).

    In my mind that I would be continuing my walk as an arms carrying professional. And being a warrior doesn’t mean walking around looking for a fight either. My post speaks briefly about responsibility and knowing when it is appropriate to take action. Personally I am not excited to get shot at or blown up, but I am willing to face the hazard, which makes all the difference.

    I would tend to agree that warrior societies historically haven’t done so well in the long run. The American military answers to civilian authority though. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that in American society the military is a warrior subculture? Even within that subculture there are those that view their profession differently–Marines in particular. Wel,l I can’t blab too long. My site admin is demanding I begin another post already. Sheesh! Thanks again guys.

    Semper Fi
    1stSgt M.S. BurkeH&S Co, Task Force MP (3/3)Al Asad, Iraq
    “America’s 1st Sgt.”
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