Is this a silly question?

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I am new to this site and have heard people called Pollys and Trolls. Would someone please explain what these titles mean? Thanks,

Foxrun

-- Foxrun (ardrinc@aol.com), June 30, 1999

Answers

A polly (from pollyanna) is what a pessimist considers a wildly optimistic person.

A troll is a malicious person who is trying to screw up the forum.

Sometimes it's hard to tell them apart around here.

If you read a post saying that clearly nothing much will happen, that's a polly (and the word "clearly" indicates an extreme polly).

If the post goes on to say that the forum's membership won't accept this because we're all brainwashed "doomers", misled by hucksters, then that's a troll. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is an incredible diversity of opinion in this forum, and hucksterism has nothing to do with it.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), June 30, 1999.


It depends on who is using those terms. For some people, a Polly is anyone who believes y2k will be less then a 8 on the 1-10 scale. For those same people, a Troll is someone who has the audacity to say so, and present reasons for that belief.

-- Bob (bob@bob.bob), June 30, 1999.

By evolving usage, a polly is anyone who doesn't accept coming Doom as a matter of faith. A troll is anyone who expresses such a belief crudely. In over a year, I haven't seen anyone of the Faith called a troll, regardless of how vicious or personal their attacks may be.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), June 30, 1999.

My God, I'm a polly! Who else is a polly and didn't know it?

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), June 30, 1999.

Generally, in internet-talk, a troll is a time-waster who enjoys making people aggravated because he finds it amusing.

You knew people like that in grade school, & since no one has the decency to shoot them, they're still with us.

-- gee (thanks@for.asking), June 30, 1999.



Sometimes you are labeled a polly or a troll when you are just asking a question that you really want to know the answer to. People seem to forget that there are really no stupid questions (at least sincere ones), just stupid answers. And on this forum it is sometimes hard to tell when someone is sincere or just being ignorant. So, please don't take offense when you get flamed around here. The vast majority of those who ask questions and answer them provide really good information and want to help those of us who are trying to get a handle on all this stuff.

-- winna (??@??.com), June 30, 1999.

Don't forget what the definition of a doomer is:

"The world is absolutely going to blow-up... BOOM!!!"

Doomers are just as bad as pollys... and there are just as many doomer trolls as there are polly trolls.

sittin on the porch,

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), June 30, 1999.


OTOH, both doomers and pollys are needed to form a balanced opinion.

We don't need no stinking trolls...

lickin' my foot,

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), June 30, 1999.


Old Git,

Golly gee give me a cracker...I'm a polly too! And since I've jumped on a few polly-trolls, I guess I'm a cannibal to boot. Wait, wait, does it count if you only eat mutants?

Unc D,

Back to the "Birds" thread. In Robert Bakkers' book "Dinosaur Heresis" 1986, he suggests dino's may have evolved from the class Avis (sp?). If so, I say DieTeR is a Pterodactyl, Andy's gotta be a Raptor, Decker would fancy himself a Toodon (sp?), I'd put you, Unc D in, the Tyrannosaur family, though not quite a T-Rex. Also gotta lot of Polly-Duckbills running around the forum. An occasional "honk" and of they run.

Polly wanta:

1)Meteor

1)Earthquake

3)Erruption

4)Continental collision

5)Bad hair day?

-- Triceratops (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 30, 1999.


foxrun there are no sily questions. didn't your mommy tell you that. just read through this forum. every question worth of a nobel prize.

ask away hon

-- corrine l (corrine@iwaynet.net), June 30, 1999.



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