Is it ever okay to troll children online?

[psychedelicsoul]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiHSlv-tlcI&index=20&list=LLypjUfOpfoLN2cwuKVCoc2w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN6KgrntDIg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwJ_JyW7cFU

Now... mocking and trolling these clearly mentally disturbed children seems mean... But come on, at least one of these makes you laugh?

However, are we morally required to consider peoples feelings? There's about 10,000 people who would have a great laugh. Is the humor of thousands of internet trolls worth this one boys frustration. Why should the feelings of one individual hinder the fun of others... When I was in high school we'd make tons of shitty gay jokes that we thought were funny because we were immature... good times. But then a gay student did come to the school. And we continued doing the same thing again. Not to spite him, but because we weren't gonna let one dude ruin our fun.
Yes we were assholes, but who isn't at that age honestly.

Trolling is morally wrong in some cases. Telling people to delete their system32 folder is just plain dickish. But let's say you... I don't know, type "homo" on a video some retarded kid made. You doing it isn' a big deal... But what if 20,000 users call him a "homo", and repost the video all over the internet, so people will mock and shame him years after it's old news.
We make remix videos making fun of them, and commentary videos making fun of them, and such... I'm sure they probably hurt these kids feelings. Especially since most kids who make this shit are probably autistic. However, they chose to make an ass of themselves online. Doesn't that give us the right to cyber bully them?

However, some people say no kid should be trolled or cyberbullied online ever.... even if they seemingly deserve it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ternet-trolls-tormented-days-threw-train.html
This kid committed suicide because of simple trolling... his cyberbullying, to most, is so minor that it's hard to feel bad for him. I honestly don't. If you're that weak, you're better off leaving his world.
However, does that excuse the actions of his trolls? Should his trolls feel bad for his death? Trolling is harmless under he idea that everyone online is mentally stable.
How are you supposed to know who's mentally stable and who isn't? You might be insulting a rape victim, or a suicidal person. You may well have pushed someone over the edge yesterday.

Basically, if I troll some 7 yr old kid who makes shitty video, and he commits suicide. Am I, and the 100,000 other trolls, morally responsible?

 

[Mysterie]

They chose to make an ass of themselves online. Doesn't that give us the right to cyber bully them?

This kid committed suicide because of simple trolling... his cyberbullying, to most, is so minor that it's hard to feel bad for him. I honestly don't. If you're that weak, you're better off leaving his world.

Trolling is harmless under he idea that everyone online is mentally stable.

even if you are morally responsible, do you even care? there is so much i disagree with in this post, and can't really understand how you came to this world view.

 

[alasdairm]

in what sense does anybody deserve to be bullied?

alasdair

 

[psychedelicsoul]

even if you are morally responsible, do you even care? there is so much i disagree with in this post, and can't really understand how you came to this world view.

That's a good question... While my sense of morality I try to keep consistent (It's not easy, when analyzing situations and fighting my empathetic urges and concept based ideals), my empathy is selective
So the answer is sometimes... Sometimes I care and feel bad about some kids who get made fun of online, but in other cases I don't feel any symapthy. It's based on what mood I'm in, or the current state of my thought patterns.
That's why empathy is unreliable in determining morality.

But you bring up one point I didn't mention. Is the moral status of an action relative to how many or who cares? If nobody cares, can something be wrong?

in what sense does anybody deserve to be bullied?

alasdair

Define "bullied"

 

[nuttynutskin]

Not more of this shit... Op seems to have an unnatural obsession with children, suicide and homosexuality.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

Not more of this shit... Op seems to have an unnatural obsession with children, suicide and homosexuality.

Have you confused me with Eminem?

 

[JessFR]

Empathy is not unreliable, yours is simply broken. In fact your whole sense of morality and ethics and empathy is broken. YES it's wrong to bully or troll a child, it's not really ok to do it to an adult. And yes, if you bully or troll someone, especially a child to such a point that they kill themselves, yes, I think you have a degree of culpability for it. It was a foreseeable outcome based on an action that can only be described as sick and evil, intended to cause suffering.

The enjoyment of other sick twisted people such as yourself is irrelevant. I wouldn't stand by and let you torment a dog just because it made you and your friends laugh, and that's just a dog.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Have you confused me with Eminem?

Where the hell that came from I have no idea, nor really care.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

Empathy is not unreliable, yours is simply broken. In fact your whole sense of morality and ethics and empathy is broken. YES it's wrong to bully or troll a child, it's not really ok to do it to an adult. And yes, if you bully or troll someone, especially a child to such a point that they kill themselves, yes, I think you have a degree of culpability for it. It was a foreseeable outcome based on an action that can only be described as sick and evil, intended to cause suffering.

The enjoyment of other sick twisted people such as yourself is irrelevant. I wouldn't stand by and let you torment a dog just because it made you and your friends laugh, and that's just a dog.

If so... Then a lot of people have broken empathy. How many people would laugh if an israeli child dies? But cry when their palestinian children die? How many do the opposite. Empathy isn' like ethics or morals. Empathy is easilly altered by actions of the brain. Anger can make one lose empathy, sadness can make one cold. Empathy seems to result from natural occurances, where as morality and ethics are based on human thought. They're man made concepts, while empathy is natural.

If we know anything about nature, it's that it's not inherently good. Sociopathy is believed to be caused by biological and enviromental causes. Some kids can cry over meat if they see the animals suffer, other kids don't care as long as they get their happy meals. We're not born with equal empathy.

That's why empathy is unreliable.
Ethics are a result of knowledge, morals are a result of belies, and empathy is a result of emotions.

I also didn't say I enjoyed trolling people, I was playing devils advocate

 

[JessFR]

If so... Then a lot of people have broken empathy. How many people would laugh if an israeli child dies? But cry when their palestinian children die? How many do the opposite. Empathy isn' like ethics or morals. Empathy is easilly altered by actions of the brain. Anger can make one lose empathy, sadness can make one cold. Empathy seems to result from natural occurances, where as morality and ethics are based on human thought. They're man made concepts, while empathy is natural.

If we know anything about nature, it's that it's not inherently good. Sociopathy is believed to be caused by biological and enviromental causes. Some kids can cry over meat if they see the animals suffer, other kids don't care as long as they get their happy meals. We're not born with equal empathy.

That's why empathy is unreliable.
Ethics are a result of knowledge, morals are a result of belies, and empathy is a result of emotions.

I also didn't say I enjoyed trolling people, I was playing devils advocate

Yes, a lot of peoples empathy is broken, that still doesn't excuse it. Yes, we're not all born with equal empathy, many are born with all sorts of defects. Saying nature isn't always good is simply an argument by contradiction fallacy. Proving that nature is not always good does not by extension prove that empathy is not good.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

Yes, a lot of peoples empathy is broken, that still doesn't excuse it. Yes, we're not all born with equal empathy, many are born with all sorts of defects. Saying nature isn't always good is simply an argument by contradiction fallacy. Proving that nature is not always good does not by extension prove that empathy is not good.

I'm not saying that empathy is bad, I'm just saying it's as unreliable as nature itself. It's also complex.
I mean, if people put stupid videos online, is it really wrong to poke fun at it. If a kid does something stupid to get attention, is it really wrong to make fun of him?

Also, you said earlier it was a "It was a foreseeable outcome based on an action that can only be described as sick and evil, intended to cause suffering."
Not all the time.. I'm sure the trolls who made fun of that kids MLP fanfic, didn't foresee him jumping in front of a train.

Are you saying anything that's kind of mean is automatically wrong, even if you're just kidding? I don't know who's emotionally unstable or not. They should get help if they are. Should I really have to sugar coat everything I say, because of the possibility that someone is mentally unstable?

 

[Mysterie]

theres an old adage that goes 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't open your mouth'.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

theres an old adage that goes 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't open your mouth'.

Is that really a good way to think though?

What if an ugly girl asks you if you think she's pretty? Do you lie and tell her she is, or do you not open your mouth, but then start rambling and speak around her question...
"Do I look pretty with this on?"
"Um... beauty is a subjective notion, so don't worry about it"

 

[alasdairm]

How are you supposed to know who's mentally stable and who isn't? You might be insulting a rape victim, or a suicidal person. You may well have pushed someone over the edge yesterday.

isn't the solution obvious?

you think that a kid responding to 'cyberbullying' is weak? what's not weak about 'cyberbullying' a kid from the safety and anonymity of an internet connection? i mean, who feels good/big/whatever about that?



alasdair

 

[psychedelicsoul]

isn't the solution obvious?

you think that a kid responding to 'cyberbullying' is weak? what's not weak about 'cyberbullying' a kid from the safety and anonymity of an internet connection? i mean, who feels good/big/whatever about that?



alasdair

What differentiates between trolling and cyberbullying.

Calling trolling and cyberbullying the same thing is like saying whistling at a woman is the same thing as groping her.
One is rude, the other is illegal and wrong.

 

[Mysterie]

Is that really a good way to think though?

What if an ugly girl asks you if you think she's pretty? Do you lie and tell her she is, or do you not open your mouth, but then start rambling and speak around her question...
"Do I look pretty with this on?"
"Um... beauty is a subjective notion, so don't worry about it"

well, the mind boggles as to when that situation is going to arise, but i would say that i think they are beautiful, because beauty to me is not something that is skin deep and i think everyone has beautiful qualities, inside and outside.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

well, the mind boggles as to when that situation is going to arise, but i would say that i think they are beautiful, because beauty to me is not something that is skin deep and i think everyone has beautiful qualities, inside and outside.

But you know if you think they're beautiful or not. And they're clearly asking about their appearance. If you don't honestly think they look good, then you're still lying.

 

[Mysterie]

But you know if you think they're beautiful or not. And they're clearly asking about their appearance. If you don't honestly think they look good, then you're still lying.

well i don't really believe that it's a fair example because here i'm not offering my opinion, i'm being asked to offer my opinion, the situation itself is unrealistic for me.

trolls telling fat people to kill themselves, and me being asked by an ugly person to rate their physical appearance, are two very different scenarios.

i could also just say that i really don't believe that the question is worthwhile because beauty is subjective, it fades, and to me beauty comes when people are at peace inside. i don't see any point in lying to build up someone's ego, or being honest and cruel when i know what the reaction is going to be, which is them being hurt.

i don't think people need to voice their honesty all the time, that does damage as well.

 

[psychedelicsoul]

trolls telling fat people to kill themselves, and me being asked by an ugly person to rate their physical appearance, are two very different scenarios.

I think that's an exaggeration... plus, what if the person says it as a joke? I'm sure people who say, "Go kill yourself" don't literally want them to commit suicide

 

[Mysterie]

I think that's an exaggeration... plus, what if the person says it as a joke? I'm sure people who say, "Go kill yourself" don't literally want them to commit suicide

its not funny, its in bad taste. the internet is not the place to tell people jokes where interpreting it as a joke vs what amounts to death threats, requires body language and tone of voice.

its usually coming from a place of hate as well.

i don't think its an exaggeration because that is what people will comment on youtube videos, i can't remember what happened when that person commited suicide due to the people from a subreddit relating to fat-hate i think, all leaving nasty comments and other abuse on the persons channel. resulting in the subreddit being deleted, and other mods of subreddits going on strike. 'free speech' and all that.