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 | This page in a nutshell: If you witness a troll in action against another user, do not engage. |
A common method of provocation utilized by trolls is to write an unsavory message on a target user's talk page, or somewhere similar where said user is destined to see it. The best response to this would be to revert, block, ignore, but less experienced users may instead engage with the troll, giving them the emotional response and the recognition which they so desire. This is commonly referred to as feeding the troll.
It might be tempting to to join forces with the user and take on the troll together, but "troll food" is for trolls, not Wikipedians. The troll might try to eat you if you attempt to eat their meal. Instead, deny recognition and do not insult the vandal; let them pound sand—an act of futility, with sand being impervious to change.[1] Give the user a gentle push towards Wikipedia:Requests for administrator attention, or file an appropriate request yourself on their behalf.
To quote American jurist Alex Kozinski, in a judicial opinion castigating two parties for trumping up allegations of defamation against each other when their underlying conflict was a simple trademark dispute, "the parties are advised to chill".
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Pound sand The Word Detective.