Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

That's quite enough.

In ranging about the 'sphere over the weekend I've taken note of a vicious trend that was discussed on both the Rottie and on the Mudville Gazette. There is a behavior being engaged in on predominantly military blogs that is disturbing and of great concern to me on many levels.

It has become great sport for certain readers of blogs to single out military personnel who are currently deployed, and subject them to all manner of harassment in their comments. Some of it has been obscene, some merely idiotic, but more distressing is the use of comments as a means to belittle, castigate, and "spit" on a soldier electronically.

Most of these commenters use nonexistent email addresses or misdirected email addresses to protect themselves and their mailboxes, and appear savvy enough to work around attempts at banning when IP banning is even an option. Sadly, the majority of active military bloggers use "free blogging hosts" which do not allow for IP banning, forcing them to either endure this abuse, turn off their comments, or quit blogging altogether.

In all honesty, I have never understood the strange compunction some people exhibit for "trolling" in the first place, or for frequenting the blogs of persons who's ideological bent or philosophy is in complete opposition to their own. It's great "sport" to drop one's spoor in comments, and I've witnessed it from bloggers from every part of the spectrum. I just don't see the entertainment value of it, nor do I see where such behavior has ever served either side by convincing a reader or blogger to change or modify their political, religious, or philosophical viewpoint.

I have inadvertently followed links before that have taken me into blogs I would never read of my own volition, much less frequent on a regular basis, and been shocked at the ideas being promoted on them. But I never feel compelled to leave comments unless something particularly inaccurate is stated. I'll sometimes leave a correction, backed by fact and not bravado, and my email and URL. And I'm rarely trolled. Perhaps because when they come into my blog they decide that there is little entertainment value in trolling "little old ladies" who blog.

Granted, there are blogs by people who thrive on the drama and fury of rant-filled comment threads, and they encourage that by the subject and tone of their posts. They rant, they instigate, they are provocative, and some are largely entertaining. They write posts that are the blog equivalent of peanut butter on a mousetrap, then sit back and wait for the trolls to infest their comments so that they can "Troll-bash" with wild and merry abandon.

This is fine and good. It's what they like, and they encourage it. But that does not generally seem to be the case with a goodly number of these military bloggers. They set up their blogs to give family and friends a contact point, to keep in touch with others in similar duty situations, and to provide an alternative source of information on the conflict, the conditions, and the people of Iraq or Iran.

These personnel know that at any time their blogs can be read by persons of higher rank who can hold them accountable for their behavior on these blogs. They know what can happen if they allow one of these trolls to get the better of them and provoke a response. And the trolls know this as well.

This group of men and women should not have their voices silences by trolls, malcontents and bullies for no other reason than their current service to the United States or their deployment in a war which has been politicized for the personal gain of power-hungry senators and would-be office holders.

I have only one thing to say to those who behave with such thuggish snarkiness on one of these blogs: If you feel the need to spit on a "baby-killer" or "rapist" or "murderer," then at least have the courage of your convictions and do it in person. Otherwise, quit "crapping on the carpet" in the blogs of people who's boot soles you aren't fit to lick.

Posted by Mamamontezz at April 19, 2004 12:32 PM