Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that certain members will post a topic that they darn well know is going to cause strife on our BB and then just disappear?
They post topics such as RN vs. BSN
LPN vs. RN
BSN vs. MSN
(what's with the "vs." isn't that for COMPETITORS?)
etc, etc, blah blah...and then , poof, they're gone or maybe, just maybe, they'll have a simple minded reply and then disappear until they start their next thread set out to divide.
Maybe I'm just tired of seeing so much of it, maybe I'm just tired tonight, period...but I see it happening alot.
IMO, I think most are very closed minded, judgemental BORED people who instigate what is "supposedly" a discussion ha ha and then sit back and watch some of the members of this board feed right into their game.
I don't know why, and personally, I am just about ready to say so long to this board because of it.
These threads get the most views, replies, etc and these posters eat that right up. They must enjoy strife amongst nurses and I am going to go out on a limb and say they are people who suffer from very low self-esteem, you know the kind....don't feel secure in their position in nursing or in life so try to bring everyone down with their own miserable lack of self-worth and smooth talking ways of posting.
Of course there are those replies that smack of their own low sense of self worth when they reply in what appears to be a positive way but they are "implying" something else. ya know, got to get that point across....
What a statement this makes that so many hop right in and post replies defending theirselves or their positions...unless, of course, some are not being the ones written about so they add their 1 cent and move on...there are all kinds....come on now, can't most of us tell already these people are TROLLS, really now, let's all come together as NURSES and stop their plight to divide us or they will surely succeed and who knows what this BB will become.
I don't care if you have 12-16 mos preparation, 2 yrs, 4yrs or more. We are ALLNURSES and there are good and bad just as in any profession. Yes, I typed profession.
I'll some it up this way. If someone feels they have to post a topic that begins with so and so vs. so OR "not to flame anyone" but I .....yadda, yadda, yadda, I pretty much know it's going to be a real "ah, I'm bored, so let's start this again" type thread and won't give them the benefit of a reply...that's just me.
I unfortunately was sucked in by a troll here recently and it ruined my night. I went to work the next day and told my friend Bob about it, he's a therapist (I get him for free!!) and his response was two fold:
1- Why do you let things like that get to you. Don't allow yourself to be sucked in to it because if continues to upset you you should stop going....well, lord knows I don't want to do that.
2- You always have to be on the look out for "soap opera" people. People who so desperately need drama in their lives that they will do anything to create it.
So, with a little "therapy" I've resolved to not feed the trolls and to only respond to the good here and there is soooooo much more good here than bad!
Thanks to all of you who make this such a wonderful place to learn, share, grow, laugh, etc, etc!!! :kiss
Hi, everyone. First off--who generates these great diverse round face icons? they're very cool. Anyway, i wanted to be sure I understood what everyone was saying about "trolls". Please forgive me if I've misunderstood, but it seems like several people are indicating that if one's topic is "controversial", that the smart thing to do would be to avoid it. It seems to me that we should do the opposite. It seems that not working out the tough controversial topics might leave everyone swimming in apathy. I definitely see that we as nurses and as a society should be together and support each other, a notion that for many necessarily creates an "us and them". To oversimplify for brevity, maybe the smart capable compassionate caring nurses vs the big "meanies" ( perhaps corporate america and even some ignorant patients). I think many people feel very strongly about this sort of thing (including me) and see it as a very serious problem in many ways and for many reasons. I think many times these people are posting and replying to posts of this nature not to stir things up, but because they are truly concerned. Having said that, ofcourse it is also true that some people post just to stir things up. i just didn't think it made sense to judge the difference by deciding if it was controversial or not. I think doing so would be contrary to solving certain issues. Again my apologies if I've inferred poorly from these posts.
So basically anyone that starts a topic of a controversial nature and defends their opinion is a troll ?
Absolutely not. But there are people who start threads for the express purpose of starting a flame war, for whatever need they have. That's a troll.
If someone comes in and asks "Why do RNs think they are so much better than LPNs" and proceeds to explain why she/he feels that way, they aren't a troll, because they are sharing their experience.
Sometimes, I'll make a statement, knowing I'll get flamed but have to say it. The worse was on a vegetarian board (I'm no longer vegetarian, but was for 12 years), and I said something like "it's interesting to note that so many of the animal rights vegans won't hurt a fly, but will kill a fetus during an abortion". Honestly, it is a mystery to me how many animal rights activists are pro-abortion. I still have the scars from the flames I got for that one (especially me being a male, and I wasn't an ethical vegan).
But if the motivation behind it was solely to start trouble, that's a troll. They are sometimes hard to spot and the thread gets long before we realize, "hey, this person came and went". There are those kinds of trolls here unfortunately.
But as Russell pointed out, trolls and flame wars are few and far between. However, they are memorable. I hate when someone comes in and sees a flame war and then judges that this is the way the board is and they are thinking about leaving. As jnette said, there is so much more.
The "trolls" are the same ones that cause problems on the floor or in the office..these are the ones that live for chaos and these are the ones that need chaos all around them so they actually feel in control of something since most likely everything else in their lives is out of control, We all know one or two of these people. I think I got pulled into a couple of the threads just because I had a weak moment..With these individuals it does not matter what you say..you will not win and if you agree with them they will turn that back around on you somehow...pretty pathetic really..This is a great forum with lots of good advice and support there are also some debates that are truly worth entering however the ones that are merely put there to get us all going are not!! Chances are we are all feeling the same about certain posts...maybe if we just band together and all post a "KNOCK IT OFF", they would go someplace else to play??
I have started looking at the thread originator, if it is someone I know is going to upset me I don't read it. They certainly do manage to divide us at times but that is human nature.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, don't flame me for mine and I won't flame you for yours!
Checking out the profile is not at bad idea it gieve you an idea of whether or not this person is out to stir trouble or is just wanting to discuss something controversial.
Some topics should be explored i.e. increasing obesity in western society is a good topic but "why aren't all nuses thin" is not a good subject. It is very much about how the topic is posed.
Lecia
69 Posts
I unfortunately was sucked in by a troll here recently and it ruined my night. I went to work the next day and told my friend Bob about it, he's a therapist (I get him for free!!) and his response was two fold:
1- Why do you let things like that get to you. Don't allow yourself to be sucked in to it because if continues to upset you you should stop going....well, lord knows I don't want to do that.
2- You always have to be on the look out for "soap opera" people. People who so desperately need drama in their lives that they will do anything to create it.
So, with a little "therapy" I've resolved to not feed the trolls and to only respond to the good here and there is soooooo much more good here than bad!
Thanks to all of you who make this such a wonderful place to learn, share, grow, laugh, etc, etc!!! :kiss