(September 26, 2013 at 12:09 pm)apophenia Wrote: It's possible this is simply a reflection of a new approach on his part. The repercussions from a trollish post or behavior reverberate long after the initial behavior. If one wants to maximize one's efficiency at it, it's useful to realize that one only needs to initiate the reaction and not necessarily stick around to see the results. Intermittent trolls, repeated at intervals, without any actual attention to the result is probably a more efficient approach than loitering in the area, as the maximum effect is realized in creating the disturbance, and later contributions have a much lesser impact per event than those pregnant first few.
(Or perhaps I've simply been doing this too long. "Shields up! Go to red alert!")
I think you're ignoring the psychology of the troll, which is similar to that of an arsonist but differs in the sense that the troll feels compelled to let everyone know who's responsible. There is no need for maximum efficiency if one doesn't get to revel in the results. Effectiveness is ignored due to the uncontrollable desire to rub everyone's nose in it. The troll has a compulsion to return to the scene that cannot be disregarded.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
