1. (Noun) The Concern
Troll differentiates itself from more outwardly nasty cousins by using generally polite language and claiming to agree with their victims. They then claim that their victims are essentially "doing it wrong," to
help, they offer advice which would either invalidate their victims' position, cause an inherent
hypocrisy with their philosophy, or render them unable to effectively advocate for it.
Their first known appearance was in talk
radio, where they would open up their call with, "I'm such a huge fan, and you're always right, but..." usually followed with statements completely at odds with the philosophy governing the show. They were nicknamed by some as "seminar callers," because progressive groups in the USA had actually funded seminars where they taught followers to use this tactic against opposition voices on the radio in the '90s. These deceptive practices and individuals have since metastasized into the internet.
This is why most Concern Trolls are found on boards or the comment sections of political subjects; they use this tactic to attempt to sow seeds of doubt, and weaken their political opposition. Most are left-
wing progressives, although a smattering of alt-right Concern trolls have begun to appear.
The cure for the typical nasty
troll is the simple statement, "
don't feed the trolls," i.e., ignore them. The cure for the Concern
Troll is, "
NEVER TAKE THE ADVICE!" (And if you are attracting them, likely you are doing
something right)
Concern
Troll Example 1:
User: "...and that is how I believe we should publicly advocate for our position on this important topic."
CT: "
Hi User, I agree entirely with this topic, and everything you've said, but you come off extremely
rude with this, so if you expect to do it right, you shouldn't advocate like you said, instead, stay home and write in a journal. You wouldn't want to hurt
people's feelings and be a jerk, right?"
(The advice, if taken, would remove User from the public debate, weakening their side)
Concern
Troll Example 2:
Radio show caller: "
Hello Rush, I'm a huge fan! I've been listening to you since the beginning, and agree 100% with 99% of what you say; but, you are wrong on this and it could hurt your audience. We should have higher taxes and more
government regulation on this topic, and it surprises me you aren't being consistent by supporting this."
(The advice here would completely go against the governing philosophy of Limbaugh, and if taken, would make him contradict his own philosophy, causing listeners to turn him off)
