You Can Fool Some Of The People

Well, we all know at least one, don't we?  The charmer who somehow insinuates himself,  or herself, into your life, and for a time has you fooled.  These people are the users, the abusers - the so-called trolls - how i love that word!  Can't you picture it?  All hunched over and warty, big old ugly nose and personality to match?  Makes me laugh every time I think of it.

Anyhow!  Back on topic.   These delightful individuals are everywhere, unfortunately for us.  It is much easier to spot them when you are face to face, but harder when they are only in cyber space.  They are the ones who present themselves as being goodness and light, saviours of our sanity, the ones it is safe to tell our secrets to. The bringers of charity and the tireless workers for good.   There are so many times in our lives, and even in our days, when we just need someone to vent to or to turn to for help in a crisis, big or small.   We need to reach out to other people, and this is where the troll or trollop? finds a wonderful niche.  

In the guise of being your new very best friend, old warty will play on your emotions, offer you their hand in "friendship" and at the same time hang you out to dry.  Quite often they disguise themselves quite effectively, so that from the outside they appear to be quite human, and are seen to espouse good causes - battered wives, and lonely single mums, abused children and even dogs that get no love.   For a time the disguise is rather effective.  But old warty really isn't too bright underneath the paintwork.   Warty thinks that the rest of the world is inferior in intelligence and quite lacking in good old street smarts.  Invariably they do something which gives them away, either through arrogance or sheer stupidity.   Often it is just plain ignorance, and their contempt for the rest of us suddenly shows through in some small thing they say or do.

Typically, as soon as one of us sees the real warty instead of a reflection, they desperately try to deflect your attention by becoming agressive.  They aren't selective or crafty enough about where they direct the agression either - as long as there is a 'soft target' for their nastiness they are taking the focus off themselves.  Some of us are even taken in by this tactic, unfortunately.   Often they will try to play on our sympathies by reporting that they are a target for another's agressive behaviour.  You have all seen it, haven't you?  Up pops warty, crying that someone is "trying to hack my Facebook" or whatever!   In reality there is nobody there, not even the big bad wolf.   But those followers who are still having the wool pulled over their eyes will rise up in defence, and rally round warty for all they are worth.   "We believe in you!"  " We won't stand for this!" "Who did this?  We will sort them out!" ...........  notice what has happened?   Focus is now completely off warty and on some innocent, unsuspecting third party.   Who now becomes a target for all the misplaced anger and indignation of the flock.

Another little telltale by which you can determine whether or not you are dealing with a warty is to ask them questions.  It is fascinating to see the complete lack of response - every time!   If you spot something a little odd about what they have told you, and you query this, you will be extremely lucky to get a response - let alone a straight answer.   Instead?   Warty will quickly introduce a new subject.    Warty is the one who will have no disagreement with their pronouncements - woe betide anyone who has a different viewpoint.   Warty decides whether people should be chastised for the way they think or feel, and finds some perverse delight in holding people up for public ridicule or judging them harshly for not thinking or behaving as warty does.   This nasty creature is not even above publishing your private information and making scathing comments about it.

Many warty creatures are lurking in cyberspace hoping to make a quick dollar - so beware of how far you let them in - everything is fodder to them, and they will use it unhesitatingly.   They often present themselves as experts of one sort or another, but in reality they have only picked the meat off the bones of everyone they have come into contact with.  And what they have learned from us they use for their own ends, and their own profit.  Make careful note here as well - warty has double standards.  To put it bluntly?  Warty is two-faced.  There is no other way to put that!   Warty will demand that you abide by a set of rules and uphold certain standards - but the rules only apply to the followers, the little flock.   They don't apply to warty at all.   

I do hope this has given you an insight into the nature of the beast, and at least given you a few clues on how to spot one in its own environment.   The world would really be better off without these creatures, but I guess the only way we will ever achieve that is by keeping our wits about us and shouting "gotcha" every time we spot one.  And then?  Whatever you do, don't respond to the troll, this is what it is wanting.  Any response is better than none.  Lastly - tell everyone you know that you have found old warty!  

When all else fails - call Supergirl!