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Shrill Exposes The Sad Little World Of The Troll Mentality

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So, I binged on Hulu’s Shrill this week.  Aidy Bryant’s first leading role on a TV show is really great, smart, and raw, but for some reason gave me a lot of Girls vibe while I was watching it.

But I digress.

I already discussed the effect that some of the characters had on me, and how I related with some of them. But for now and for the purpose of this post, I wanted to write about something that’s been a touchy subject for a lot of people around me. Trolling. And yes, I’m familiar with the –Don’t feed the rolls line, and as someone who’s been writing in published media for over 10 years (both in English and I my native language) I’ve had my fair share of troll encounters.

But as the last episode of Shrill thought all of us watching, sometimes –Don’t feed the trolls line… just isn’t enough. Sometimes ignoring them isn’t the best option. Let me tell you why.

So, Annie (Aidy Bryant) confronted her on line troll in the last episode, and she even went to his house. Yes. The one on one confrontation happened on the dude’s porch, and it didn’t end well.

But I noticed one thing in his behavior while this scene was unfolding. When he was called out and exposed for being a troll, for threatening her and being a dick towards her (in the comment section of her articles), he immediately became like a scolded puppy. He even apologized at one point, and started to explain his motivation for the trolling. He was overweight as a kid, and had a disdain towards obese people and bla bla bla… You can pretty much guess the dialogue.

But you see… That’s the thing! They always go for their constitutional right to express opinions that are often contrary to the opinions of the general public and they always find some excuses for their trolling. But the biggest part of this scene was the conclusion is that you should always face them. Don’t ignore them. Trolls always feed on your forgiveness and willingness to look away, to turn the other cheek, and they’ll always come back for more blood.

No, trolls are like dogs. You have to show them that you’re not afraid. Just like in Annie’s case, if you have the chance to confront them do it! They always sing a different tune after that. Maybe that won’t change their mind and they won’t stop, but you’ll at least have the satisfaction to tell them to go and fuck themselves.

Remember kids. Don’t feed the trolls. Face them!

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