I'm Curious: How Do You Deal with Trolls?

Anyone on the internet blogging or using social media deals with trolls. Facebook? It's filled with creatures from Grimm's Fairy Tales! 

Usually trolls are anonymous and cast their aspersion from underneath a rock or hiding behind a silly fake name. Often their comments are personal attacks along with name-calling and sometimes profanity. I have a few trolls and my way of dealing with them nowadays is to delete their comments as soon as I recognize the source. That usually takes reading about ten words then into the circular file they go.

But the other day it occurred to me that reading the entire comment, which sometimes is a dissertation, might be good for my humility. Say a prayer for the troll first and then read the attack and thank God for the beatitude, "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: 12 Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you." It's crucifixion by thumbtack. Can one really get too wrapped around a pole by it?

There's an interesting passage in the Old Testament that came to mind as I considered my strategy. King David's son, Absalom, has risen against him and taken over Jerusalem. David is fleeing the city in grief. It's an interesting reflection in view of all the division we face these days in the Church and even in our personal lives: a family at war. 

At any rate, I find David's reaction to his "troll's" attack interesting and thought provoking:

Shimei Curses David 

5And king David came as far as Bahurim: and behold there came out from thence a man of the kindred of the house of Saul named Semei, the son of Gera, and coming out he cursed as he went on, 6And he threw stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people, and all the warriors walked on the right, and on the left side of the king. 7And thus said Semei when he cursed the king: Come out, come out, thou man of blood, and thou man of Belial. 8The Lord hath repaid thee for all the blood of the house of Saul: because thou hast usurped the kingdom in his stead, and the Lord hath given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and behold thy evils press upon thee, because thou art a man of blood.

9And Abisai the son of Sarvia said to the king: Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? I will go, and cut off his head. 10And the king said: What have I to do with you, ye sons of Sarvia? Let him alone and let him curse: for the Lord hath bid him curse David: and who is he that shall dare say, why hath he done so? 11And the king said to Abisai, and to all his servants: Behold my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now a son of Jemini? let him alone that he may curse as the Lord hath bidden him. 12Perhaps the Lord may look upon my affliction, and the Lord may render me good for the cursing of this day. 13And David and his men with him went by the way. And Semei by the hill's side went over against him, cursing, and casting stones at him, and scattering earth. 14And the king and all the people with him came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

So do I read the trolls who stalk my blog and Facebook page or just continue my policy of dropping their blather in the circular file? Another way to handle it, of course, is to stop allowing comments altogether, but I have a number of smart, polite readers and I often benefit from their input, so I'm unlikely to go that route.

And then there is the question of whether reading and responding to the comments is good for the troll. A TED talk describes trolls like this:

• Trolls drive content with emotion… everything is about emotion.
• Trolls love to make accusations, especially moral and ethical ones, against people.
• Trolls love drama, and many have sociopathic tendencies, so they do not care if their gossip or posts inflict pain on people and families.

Is it better not to "feed the trolls" by ignoring them? Does responding increase their "sociopathic tendencies?" There are actually trolls who encourage others to self harm. And some profess their Christianity as they attack in satanic style. I tremble to think of the guilt they are piling up for themselves as they point the finger at others.

So how to deal with them? If you think of the Pharisees as trolls, which in many ways they were, how did Jesus deal with them? First He recognized them. And then he responded to them. He didn't mince words with them because He knew their motives were evil and malicious. He called them hypocrites, blind guides, whited sepulchers, and a brood of vipers. No troll coddling there. So, friends, what is the best way to deal with trolls? What do you do? Do you have a strategy for handling trolls that you can share?

My basic strategy is to always say a Hail Mary when I get a trolling comment and pray for them to reject evil and respond to grace. God loves trolls and so did their moms I bet. Don't we need to follow suit? Pray for our persecutors and those who hate us? I'm really puzzled why people who disagree with me so vehemently don't just stop visiting my blog. Perhaps they really are sociopaths. If so, they definitely need prayer.

Lord Jesus, have mercy!