BBC tracks down internet troll...

[FBM]

And surprise of surprises, he's a dickhead in person, too, at least at the news that he's been outed.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Hehe.
I see him moving house in the not too distant future.

[apophenia]

Eh. He seems about like anybody else would be if you stick a camera in their face and asked them about behavior that may not be popular. I think it's reprehensible for the BBC to out him in this fashion. They ask him about the consequences of his actions, but don't think twice about their own. And I agree with Nimrod7, these are publicly accessible forums, and it is the responsibility of the individuals and the community to responsibly deal with both the good and the bad in these experiences. If you're not willing to protect yourself, and deal responsibly in an internet world where anonymity is at a premium, and responsibility altogether absent, then you should probably unplug the cord from the wall. There are always going to be people who behave in ways we don't like; asking them to behave, of course, but also not expecting someone or something to come along to sanitize our world so that only agreeable things happen to us.

"I understand, of course, that many people find smoking objectionable. That is their right. I would, I assure you, be the very last to criticize the annoyed. I myself find many — even most — things objectionable. Being offended is the natural consequence of leaving one's home. I do not like aftershave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. I do not, however, go around enacting legislation and putting up signs. In private I avoid such people; in public they have the run of the place. I stay at home as much as possible, and so should they. When it is necessary, however, to go out of the house, they must be prepared, as I am, to deal with the unpleasant personal habits of others. That is what "public" means."
— Fran Lebowitz, "When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes...Shut Them"

[Ian]

I've always found it no coincidence that the few real clear-cut trolls are very secretive about giving out personal information, like where they're from or what they look like.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

I've always found it no coincidence that the few real clear-cut trolls are very secretive about giving out personal information, like where they're from or what they look like.

This.

[apophenia]

We all see what we want to see.

“We don’t see things the way they are. We see things the way we are.”
— Anais Nin

[amused]

... " ... I do not like aftershave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. ... " — Fran Lebowitz, "When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes...Shut Them"

What a bitch.

[FBM]

I've always found it no coincidence that the few real clear-cut trolls are very secretive about giving out personal information, like where they're from or what they look like.

This.

They hide for a reason. I don't hide.

But, of course, I don't troll, either.

[tattuchu]

Not a fan of ambush journalism. And what did they really expect the guy to say? The answer to the big question, why he does what he does? Well he's an asshole, that's why. Why the fuck do you think?

[Thinking Aloud]

Not a fan of ambush journalism.

Me neither. Mostly because of the "holier than thou / haha I'm cleverer than you" tone of the journalist's questions.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

If you're not willing to protect yourself, and deal responsibly in an internet world where anonymity is at a premium, and responsibility altogether absent, then you should probably unplug the cord from the wall. There are always going to be people who behave in ways we don't like; asking them to behave, of course, but also not expecting someone or something to come along to sanitize our world so that only agreeable things happen to us.

Same goes for him. I don't think he should complain when a 'real person' (whom he'd assumed he was safe from) comes along, sticks a camera in his face and asks him to justify his behaviour...Fuck HIM.
Maybe it's he who needs to pull the cord from the wall.

[Mallardz]

They should send Jack Dee to do these ambush things. It'd be more entertaining.

[apophenia]

If you're not willing to protect yourself, and deal responsibly in an internet world where anonymity is at a premium, and responsibility altogether absent, then you should probably unplug the cord from the wall. There are always going to be people who behave in ways we don't like; asking them to behave, of course, but also not expecting someone or something to come along to sanitize our world so that only agreeable things happen to us.

Same goes for him. I don't think he should complain when a 'real person' (whom he'd assumed he was safe from) comes along, sticks a camera in his face and asks him to justify his behaviour...Fuck HIM.
Maybe it's he who needs to pull the cord from the wall.

So I take it that you're inviting me to come over to your house with a camera crew and ask you inconvenient questions? What's the minimum required for carte blanche invasion of a person's privacy? If you have a driver's license? A library card? A social security number? Do journalists need any excuse to invade your privacy? How about the government. Do you have any objection to them tracking what library books you borrow, where you shop, who your friends are? I've got an rfid I'd like to implant under the skin of your wrist so we can track your every movement. Come by when it's convenient. I'll try to be available, but I'll be spending a lot of my time shoving cameras in the faces of other Ratz women and demanding an explanation for why they aren't wearing Burkhas, and why they hate Muslim women. Call ahead. Or just stop by, if you've got a camera and you're own opinionated questions; that of course gives you the right to do whatever you please.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

So I take it that you're inviting me to come over to your house with a camera crew and ask you inconvenient questions?

Not an invitation but if you're so outraged by something I've said or done or you feel it would make a good documentary then be my guest.

It's probably worth noting that the 'troll' was stopped in the street and not at his home. Here in the UK one does not have the right to privacy in a public place. - The home and personal details are a different matter.


I don't believe I've ever read that any Ratz women hate muslim women.

[Robert_S]

Did this person actively seek widespread notoriety and attention? It seems to me that he was actively seeking widespread attention in public and got it in a way he didn't like. If so, then shouldn't his relationship with the press more like that of a celebrity than a more private person?