What happened when I confronted my cruellest troll

[brer cat]

17. I am going to be rereading and pondering this for a while.

Also sharing it. Several points hit me right off. IMO using "troll" in this situation is wrong and mendacious: to me a troll is simply someone who gets his jollies disrupting online discussions by posting provocative messages, and such persons are easily ignored and dismissed. We even enjoy playing with them on DU. What Lindy describes is stalking and harassment, and it should be called such.

We have discussed the "free speech" issue many times here, and I liked the way Lindy framed it: "When you talk about rape, I said, you get to decide where you aim: are you making fun of rapists? Or their victims? Are you making the world better? Or worse? It’s not about censorship, it’s not about obligation, it’s not about forcibly limiting anyone’s speech – it’s about choice. Who are you? Choose." That opens the subject to a more thoughtful conversation.

Last, I was hit very hard when she described the "message" from her deceased father. Pure slime. I don't believe I could have forgiven him. She is a very strong person to reach out in order to learn from him.

Great thread, ism.