Do you think that Rally Point is beginning to get political trolls?

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:22:40 -0500

I've have noticed a trend among posters that as soon as you disagree with their comments, they immediately get defensive. I would like to extend the fact that I do agree with some of the 'stated policys of the both Politic Left and of the Politic Right - not greatly so but I can see their points. I am middle of the road on the US Political Spectrum.
Comments are appreciated but if you would please do lead your answer with a simple Yes or No. Thanks

Response by MSgt Aaron Brite made Nov 23 at 2018 9:27 AM

MSgt Aaron Brite — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:27:57 -0500

Yes, some trolls are in every population, not just under bridges.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Nov 23 at 2018 9:29 AM

LTC Kevin B. — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:29:44 -0500

I think that's always going to be present on any website where people congregate and have the ability to interact. With that being said, it's not nearly as bad as in the past. A number of us member admins try to squash some of the trolling behavior as quickly as possible. If you see something that's out of line and which doesn't adhere to RP community guidelines on appropriate behavior, please let any of the admins know.

Response by LTC Stephan Porter made Nov 23 at 2018 9:50 AM

LTC Stephan Porter — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:50:23 -0500

No

I think the label of “defensive” is used by those who do not like any disagreement and then “troll” is a label used to discount an argument to a position. Those labels at immediately thrown out when nit necessarily the case.

Are there some out there that the terms may apply, but it is not the norm.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 9:53 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:53:58 -0500

If you want a yes or no answer then you should have posted a survey. RO has had political trolls for a while. It doesn’t help that the admin people support it.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Nov 23 at 2018 9:59 AM

CPT Jack Durish — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:59:25 -0500

I fear you do not understand Internet Trolls. Those are the people who intentionally interrupt discussions with inflammatory comments. Defensiveness is a natural reaction to challenges to beliefs that are not strongly held or not based in principles.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Nov 23 at 2018 10:24 AM

LTC Jason Mackay — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 10:24:03 -0500

Yes...nothing new. There are all kinds of users on here that are pushing agendas all over the political spectrum.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 11:40 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 11:40:34 -0500

Like your service, you take what you want from it. There are many who have a great experience and those who have a bad experience. The political parts that rise up every now then are going to happen whether we like it or not. I usually leave RP for a while when that starts happening or I post an off subject to distract from all the other posts.
Diverting attention and acting as a relief and a reminder that we’re all in the same playing field is usually all it takes to bring people down off cloud politics.
RallyPoimt has an amazing forum if we all see it for its intent and purpose. It filled an empty void in my life when I was drowning in the pits of my PTSD and frantically searching to be able to connect with familiarity.
So maybe view RallyPoint like the military, you get from it what you want to. Leave the admins to work out the bugs, just like the officers of each branch. Good news is there’s no flying bullets or IEDs here. Just controversial opinions... :)

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Nov 23 at 2018 1:01 PM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 13:01:11 -0500

yes, every other add is about TRUMP

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 1:34 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 13:34:40 -0500

SFC Ralph E Kelley I have noticed individuals on here that I considered trolls that would keep posting about the same topic, but the topic was usually about enlisting or waivers. Some of these trolls are no longer on RallyPoint.

Response by PO1 John Johnson made Nov 23 at 2018 2:19 PM

PO1 John Johnson — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:19:23 -0500

No; I've seen a lot worse, both in life and in Social Media. Unfortunately, the word "troll" (with respect to social media) can be compared to words such as "harassment", "racist", "bias", "constitutional", "unconstitutional", "intolerant", (anything)-phobe, etc., which have come to be defined by individual perspective (read: any definition the individual decides it to be) , rather than long accepted dictionary, scientific or academic terms of definition. With the exception of egregious violations of common decency and respect (such as, but not limited to, tossing out the N-word or the F-bomb), there's only the perspective of the person who hears, does or sees something, and no controlling authority can ever hope to satisfy everyone's individual perspective without destroying the long established history of Freedom of Speech in this country, and absolutely ruining RP. I see RP Admin as doing a commendable job monitoring the conversation here.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 2:43 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:43:06 -0500

The political trolling is part of a bigger problem on RP - Veterans not asking themselves "does this response contribute positively to the conversation?" before pressing "Respond".

Response by SrA John Monette made Nov 23 at 2018 2:58 PM

SrA John Monette — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:58:50 -0500

SFC Ralph E Kelley yes, I do believe that political (and other) trolls are present on RP. Unfortunately, that is just the way the internet is. the members that I take with a grain of salt are the ones who are "civilian" and/or don't put up a profile photo. I'm not necessarily referring to the "potential recruits", although some of them are suspect also. then there are the ones who post a question one day, then post the same question a few days later.
there are even some who claim to be service members, with a photo, who are very defensive when responding to a response to their original question.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 2:58 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:58:56 -0500

Trolls are a fact of life in the un-social media. Don't take the bait and try to discuss issues as you would in person. They intentionally create dissent by posting the extremes and usually without facts to back it up. Don't feed the trolls.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Nov 23 at 2018 4:23 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 16:23:18 -0500

Interesting share Mary, thank you for your great opinion

Response by LTC John Shaw made Nov 23 at 2018 4:27 PM

LTC John Shaw — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 16:27:54 -0500

Yes, it makes me sad

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 5:25 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 17:25:11 -0500

SFC Ralph E Kelley RP isn't just getting trolls. In the year that I've been a member here I've seen them on a regular basis. Some are more obnoxious than others. Don't allow them to draw you in. Your opinion is yours, and you don't have to defend it.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Nov 23 at 2018 5:37 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 17:37:22 -0500

There are those that will express their political opinion (I'm even guilty of it when SP5 Mark Kuzinski posts a political conservative MEME and Quote), but I don't share that with anyone else. Those individuals that believe in their political prowness and that seem to know everything about everything I just ignore, don't respond, and continue to move on. I've made it a promise to not post anything political on RallyPoint, because my goal is to reach those veterans that need help, that need support through my programs, and to grow the non-profits I work for that assist Veterans. I want to stay positive for everyone. Back in the day when I first started I posted some political links and for that I'm very sorry SFC Ralph E Kelley. I believe that my political position is one of my own business and will attempt to keep it private going forward. I will say this though, I'm very displeased with the way Washington DC and all the poiticains are acting in the face of God and the World. It is embarrassing. That's my confession on the poltical front and my promise moving forward to my brothers and sisters here on RallyPoint (except for my very small, but professional comments on SP5 Mark Kuzinski posts). (LOL)!

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Nov 23 at 2018 6:01 PM

SPC Douglas Bolton — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:01:32 -0500

SFC Ralph E Kelley I respect the freedom to say what you want. It is the way that it is said that bothers me. There was a troll who used cuss words on every other word. I told him he could speak without using cuss words. He told me to #$%&* off. he is no longer on RP. I think he needs mental help. Most of RP are good people, and talk with not too much anger. I am happy here.

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Nov 23 at 2018 6:45 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 18:45:13 -0500

Beginning???

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 23 at 2018 7:27 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 19:27:10 -0500

Not so much trolls, but an inability to accept contrary views by immediately resorting to insulting those with a different opinion.
Those who do so only demonstrate their lack of intellect.

Response by SCPO Morris Ramsey made Nov 23 at 2018 8:15 PM

SCPO Morris Ramsey — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 20:15:50 -0500

Yes

Response by SrA John Monette made Nov 23 at 2018 8:23 PM

SrA John Monette — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 20:23:07 -0500

I'm beginning to think this A1C Jordan Brenner is one of these trolls. look at his profile

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Nov 23 at 2018 11:02 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 23:02:19 -0500

No, except for a few people it is fairly tame.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 24 at 2018 12:55 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 00:55:56 -0500

Yes SFC Ralph E Kelley over the past year or so political trolls have made their way onto RallyPoint until they were confronted and investigated by administrators after numerous infractions
Thanks for mentioning me, my friend SFC Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2018 6:33 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 06:33:02 -0500

No, RP has not begun to get political trolls; it gets them occasionally, but a lot less often that other social media platforms. A few years ago, there were folks making new accounts and posting links to fabricated news websites with false-inflammatory headlines and articles; RP users were able to easily identify, downvote, and report those users. As CPT Jack Durish said, a troll is someone who makes remarks to intentionally annoy/upset/misdirect a conversation, while adding nothing of value. There is a difference between trolling and folks having strongly opposing views that lead to ad hominem and other non-productive debate tactics. A conversation can start as a legitimate disagreement and then lead to trolling behavior by one or more participants.

Trolling Example 1
User1: "Do you think President Trump was right/wrong on X topic?"
User2: "TRUMP 2020, MAGA #BuildTheWall #YouLostGetOverIt!"
User3: "User2, what does that have to do with the topic?"

Trolling Example 2
User1: "President Trump brokered a peace deal between ROK and DPRK."
User2: "Trump is a racist, Russian meddling!"
User3: "User2, what does that have to do with the topic?"

Response by SFC Francisco Rosario made Nov 24 at 2018 8:13 AM

SFC Francisco Rosario — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 08:13:52 -0500

This is how i see it. Facebook gets way to political for me more often than not. What i do is i let my FB friends & family know that i dont care to see all that political garbage, and i would hate to lose a friend due to it. We all have our own opinion, we need to respect the opinion of others even if we dont agree.
However when it comes to RP, i dont feel that it has gotten to that point yet. At least not for me. However i agree with SFC Mary Beaver, if you dont want to read/hear all the political rhetoric then take a break from RP for a while. Again we all have our own opinion on every subject under the sun.

The other side of the coin tells us that we can learn something from the opinion of others, we just need to be patient and have an open mind. If we dont agree, then we dont agree, no harm done.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2018 8:33 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 08:33:37 -0500

No. I do not think that Rally Point is beginning to get political trolls.

IMHO, People are people. Rally Point is a forum for information that provides a network or networks of people associated with the military in some way. Communication in online forums can be difficult. The military's association to the government creates a political link that some people have issues. Politics shouldn't be found within the ranks of the military. But people have opinions about how the military is likely used in today's world. Which is fine.

A Rally Point member posted a comment a couple of years ago, something to the effect of, that trying to discern the context or background of a statement in a post is like trying to view an object using the eye of a sewing needle and describing what is observed.

This doesn't mean that posts should never have emotion within the context of what is said. This at least partially means that the online forum prevents members from observing all of the context behind the comment.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2018 9:48 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Nov 2018 09:48:14 -0500

I believe the trolls are everywhere.

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Nov 25 at 2018 9:30 PM

CW4 Craig Urban — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 21:30:42 -0500

You are correct. I am in the middle. I am retired and can disagree with Trump. He is not perfect but neither am I. I am concerned about the liberals in California. I came back from Germany as a SP/5 20 years old and the Fonda types spit on me. And they are still doing it. 9th Circuit. What a joke.

Response by 1SG John Millan made Feb 29 at 2024 4:32 AM

1SG John Millan — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 04:32:11 -0500

Yes! Unfortunately, after 2 terms of Clinton, a 60’s, anti-military Marxist radical and 2-term Obama, a racist, radical Islamist, with Marxist ties and now Biden, a senile Marxist, controlled by radical, Marxist puppet masters, the woke, CRT, DEI, pronoun-obsessed, non-warrior, non-combat ready, broken, under-strength, under-funded, undisciplined, demoralized military is rife with radicals, especially generals and admirals, who hate America, guns, capitalism, democracy, freedom, the West, law enforcement, God and want to destroy it. These same sleazy quislings annd 5th columnist traitors are becoming vocal on here sadly.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Feb 29 at 2024 1:25 PM

Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:25:17 -0500

Yes...I see your point daily...I am for a good debate...I have some on here that we are on the total opposite ends of the spectrum but we are civil with each other at the end. However, there are some on here that if you disagree you must be destroyed...When they don't have a valuable counterpoint with factual evidence it turns into a nana nana foo foo liar liar pants on fire argument and for some they use very colorful language to describe who they think you are and attack on all kinds of personal levels. I have fished some of them out over the years and have blocked them...not because I disagree or possibly might agree but because of the personal attacks and no real debate. Since I have blocked them my time in here has been a lot better.