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back to article It's a scientific fact: Online comment trolls are sadists

A group of Canadian researchers has given the imprimatur of social-science recognition to a fact that many of us who spend time in internet comment forums have suspected: there's a strong correlation between online trolling and sadism. "Both trolls and sadists feel sadistic glee at the distress of others. Sadists just want to …

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    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Re: Love it

      Sadist!

      1 0
    2. nitsedy
      Reply Icon

      Re: Love it

      Close, but we're in YOUR mom's basement...

      1 0
  2. DF118

    Cheers Reg

    Now I've got Cyndi Lauper stuck in my head.

    3 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      stuck in my head

      Try this one then,

      Hey Mickey!

      Hey Mickey!

      ;-)

      3 1
      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
        Reply Icon
        Devil

        Re: stuck in my head

        notauser,

        I don't know if you're a troll for saying that. But you certainly are a sadist! Aaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!!

        Never gonna give you up,

        Never gonna let you down,

        Never gonna run around and desert you...

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        1. Crisp
          Reply Icon

          Re: stuck in my head

          ooh eeh ooh ah ah ting tang walla walla bing bang

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          1. Swarthy
            Reply Icon

            Re: stuck in my head

            Mahna mahna.

            0 0
            1. Red Bren
              Reply Icon

              Re: stuck in my head

              Doo doooo d-doo-doo

              1 0
              1. Death Boffin
                Reply Icon
                Mushroom

                Re: stuck in my head

                Time to go nuclear on this thread...

                "Its a small world after all"

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        2. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          @ I ain't Spartacus

          Have some schaudenfreude, I seem to have sustained a self-inflicted wound with my previous comment.

          3 0
  3. DropBear
    Holmes

    You don't say...

    "Also interesting was the finding that the more time that the respondents spent in comment forums, the higher their scores for each Dark Tetrad trait except narcissism" - well what else would you expect people to stick around for, once they've been around long enough to realize that a) nobody ever managed to change anyone's mind about anything via forum debate, and b) nobody ever goes to a forum to listen to anybody's opinion but rather to have his own expressed (mainly about how everyone else's is totally wrong). Where's the surprise...?

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    1. monkeyfish
      Reply Icon

      Re: You don't say...

      @Dropbear: YOUR option is totally WRONG and your mind easily be changed by online forums. SEE it's changing NOW!!1!

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  4. jake Silver badge

    Meow.

    c.f. a.f.kmn

    Taking the mick isn't sadism. It's improv/satire/parody.

    Bottom line: don't read adult material unless you are an adult.

    Likewise, if you are a parent, parent. You don't HAVE to allow your pre-teen to have unfettered access to the internet, you know.

    2 2
  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Happy

    Wot?

    No comments from known trolls?

    Poooooor.

    1 0
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    but ...

    What if the psycoboffin is a troll?

    0 0
  7. theblackhand

    I accept my jokes are bad

    ...but I don't really get much pleasure from the jokes being bad. More disappointment that others didn't find it funny..

    Am I doing it wrong?

    Or should I just flagellate myself as I post and accept I'm in the masochist camp?

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  8. wowfood

    Does that mean

    Those who feed the trolls are masochists?

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  9. Stevie

    Bah!

    so Social Science is a science now? I always thought that was a pun. No, not a pun, what's that thing that sounds the same when you say it backwards?

    This just in: Teenage boys spend so much time having one off the wrist because they like it. There. I'm a social scientist.

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  10. roselan
    Linux

    What about masochist trolls?

    minorities even in a minority report.

    You know, the whining, crying & WTFing trolls. An annoying bunch, but at least they find support in LGBT (Linux gnu beers & trolls)

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  11. Jes.e

    All these good faq's posted reminded me..

    ..of an oldie but goodie!

    "Dear Emily Postnews"

    http://www.templetons.com/brad/emily.html

    There were some very obnoxious personalities back on Usenet days..

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: All these good faq's posted reminded me..

      "There were some very obnoxious personalities back on Usenet days.."

      I kind of miss Cody Ann Michaels.

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