Re: Radio silence

[Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Our friend, Ornlthug1@aol.com, is what's commonly known on the web as a
troll, one who places inflammatory remarks in a listserver or newsgroup with
the purpose of starting a flame war. Typically, the troll hides behind an
email address that is unrelated to his/her name, and the email account is
temporary anyway as the troll is usually reported to the service provider,
who terminates the account. Trolls usually display an odd combination of
meanness (in their attacks to get things going and in additional baiting to
keep things going once a rhubarb is underway) and cowardice (hiding his/her
true identity at all times). Trolls generally have a short half-life in any
discussion.

As for freedom of speech, the troll does indeed have the right to speak
freely, as everyone does in this country. However, the troll does not have
the right to compel someone to listen. And since the internet connect over
which each of us receives the troll's verbiage is paid for by our employers
or ourselves and not the troll, the troll is attempting to force each of to
listen at our expense or at our employers' expense. Perhaps we should
invoice him/her for the use of all these systems.
============================
Bob Flood
Dosimetry Group Leader
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
bflood@slac.stanford.edu


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