Trolling for fun

Mostly the rule is, and should always be; ‘don’t feed the trolls’. They’re sad, lonely people who quite frankly deserve to be, but without the Internet access. However, you find the odd one who is just so much goshdarned fun to bait. There is one such. His, for I believe ‘tis a he, major selling point is that he’s overblown with his own pomposity. He takes it all so seriously, and comes across as a right Malvolio if ever I came across one. He is enough to bring the Feste out in anyone with even the lightest smattering of a sense of humour.

Now, I’m naming no names, but I used to meet people who exemplified this stereotype every working day, mainly in Management. People who just had to control everything and threw dolly out of the pram if everyone else didn’t do exactly what they wanted right now. In their tidy, obsessive compulsive little world, every even slightly dissenting voice must be hectored and browbeaten until it is silent. They cannot stand other people who voice contrary opinions, and have no joy of the moment. They cannot banter or make comment without being vicious, and every so-called witticism is barbed and envenomed with their own internal gall; although in real life they are more often than not complete Andrew Aguecheeks. Or for those of a Red Dwarfish bent; complete Arnold Judas Rimmers, without the ‘Ace’ at the end.

Ergo; every so often I go troll baiting, which so long as you don’t overdo it is rather like licking cane toads. You can get a bit of a high off it, but the wise will limit their activities in this area as it can get addictive, and eventually damaging. No doubt there are those who will accuse me of being foolish for antagonising such people because they’re a spiteful, vengeful bunch with few redeeming features, yet I would take this quotation of Feste’s from Twelfth Night in my defence;

“Wit, an't be thy will, put me into good fooling! Those wits, that think they have thee, do very oft prove fools; and I, that am sure I lack thee, may pass for a wise man: for what says Quinapalus? 'Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.'.”

Foolish? Moi? Often; but to reply to would-be detractors might I quote Feste from later in the same scene…….

“Sir Toby will be sworn that I am no fox; but he will not pass his word for two pence that you are no fool.”

Good old Shakespeare. There was a Bill who knew the score.

As for the photo above, snapped that this afternoon in town. There's a deeper message there for anyone who cares to pay enough attention. For those who can't, well more fool you.