Rogue Cartoonist: The Internet Perils of a Citizen-Muckraker by Ben Garrison

Author:Ben Garrison [Garrison, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Garrison Graphics
Published: 2015-05-09T04:00:00+00:00

TOP KEKS

“My laughter has reached uncontainable levels and my sides are now hurdling through the atmosphere at light speed!”

—Anonymous

The above is a typical comment posted on 4chan’s /pol/. I saved it because it illustrates one of the main goals of trolls: laughter. Trolling for lulz is an apparent obsession for some. It’s a valuable, almost precious, commodity to them. Lulz, which is a distortion of “LOL” or “laughing out loud,” is the big payoff for trolls. On 4chan, their expression for the best form of troll laughter is known as a top kek. This word originated from the World of Warcraft video game. It’s another form of LOL. This is more evidence that many of the trolls are young people who have been heavily influenced by violent video games.

Besides posting comments that brag about their sides being obliterated or leaving the galaxy, they’ll also often post cruel and crudely drawn meme faces with giant grins and tears of laughter spewing from eyes. They want their victims and their fellow trolls to know they are enjoying their success. Trolling becomes a competitive game. They take pride in their harmful accomplishments. Most people have heard the expression “You mad, bro?” This was a phrase invented by a troll. When victims are angry, the trolls claim victory, celebrate, and enjoy the top keks. They feel victorious and better about themselves when others are put down, and the lulz simply aren’t as satisfying if the target is oblivious. They must brag about their cyber bullying and trolling victories. The combination of a massive ego and arrogance can place a troll’s anonymity at risk. Like many criminals, they just can’t resist bragging and returning to the scenes of their crimes. These careless actions can help lead to their prosecution.

When the English boxer Curtis Woodhouse became the target of an arrogant, cyber bullying troll who was constantly spewing defamation and lies, he paid to have his tormentor tracked down. Woodhouse then drove many miles to the troll’s neighborhood. He took a photo of a street sign and posted it so that the troll would know he was there. The boxer was going to knock on every door until he found his man. When the troll saw the photo he turned into a quivering mound of jelly. He said he was just having a little fun. The whimpering coward apologized and said, “I am sorry it’s getting a bit out of hand. I am in the wrong. I accept that.” Woodhouse won by default.

Woodhouse’s troll exhibited typical behavior. When the trolls have their cloak of anonymity stripped away, they meekly claim they were just doing it for laughs and didn’t mean any harm. Maybe they’re sincere when they use this excuse. They’re mostly young, socially inept weaklings who were probably bullied in real life. The Internet gives them a chance to get even.

I’ve experienced this firsthand. A college student with the handle of “George L. Rockwell” (a name used by an American Nazi) attacked me mercilessly on

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