In my defense, I like to bring up topics that, as a kid growing up in Lutheran church, always troubled me. And it upset me even more that no one was talking about these things openly. Even if someone tried, they were usually given a proper Holy Ghost beat-down for making an attempt. Many of my serious threads are these topics coming to surface in my adulthood, now that people (for the most part) can't stop me from starting discussions about them.
As for stirring up trouble, I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations.
In my defense, here is Seoulsearch's Playbook for Dealing With Online Trolls (Things I've Learned From Writing Threads Since 2009):
1. The more you engage with a troll, but specifically ask question designed to bring out their motivations (not just to fight,) the faster they'll show their hand -- and the faster the mods can decide whether or not that person's beliefs are in tune with the site's.
2. It's pointless to try to out-argue a troll. Sure, the back-and-forth can be fun at first, but eventually I get to a point where I tell myself, "Ok, I'm going to start running this one..." aka, putting out threads, one after the other, to see if they can keep up.
Depending on the situation, it can also be quite effective to take the very things they're saying and turn it into its own series of threads.
3. If in doubt, keep writing. Sure, they'll follow at first. But writing new threads creates new places in the forum that they'll eventually get bored of and give up trying to follow you (at least, in my experience.)
In the meantime, it can be fun to watch them brush you off, then count how many of your threads/posts they keep answering anyway, even though they've publicly declared that you're not worth listening to.
I was in a disagreement with someone a while back -- and decided to concentrate my energy on a thread about tacos instead. The person predictably showed up again, scoffing, "Is THIS the best you could do??!"
But what a lot of people don't realize is that I often need to write the fluffier threads to clear my mind and prepare my thought process at the same time I'm sorting out another idea. My next thread was about something serious, mentioning things like child prostitution, and low and behold -- the person who had ridiculed me didn't show up in that thread, and now just occasionally shows up in my current ones.
I guess they didn't realize it wasn't my first rodeo, and I just needed a little time (and a few more threads) to work out my true response to the original argument.
This is why I chose the moniker, "OutWrite Trouble."
I don't try to out-argue trolls -- I just try to outwrite them.
Eventually, they either show themselves as not adhering to site rules and are banned, or get bored, give up, and run off to troll someone else.
I keep saying that so far, it has a 100% success rate -- but I'm sure one of these days, I'm going to meet my match, and someone is going to outwrite ME. Back in the day, when the site was more active, we had a few that tried, and it was fun! Everyone likes a challenge!
Unfortunately for most, I am the world's most annoying combination of being not only a very determined nerd, but am also someone who has always chosen to spend most of her free time writing, so I don't give up easily.
I might take a break to think. I might write threads about tacos and pies and Mutant Ninja Turtles in between.
But in the back of my mind, if I think it's something worth answering, I'm still working on an answer.
It just might show up in the form of a different thread -- or an entire series.