Psychology of the Internet Troll

35 thoughts on “Psychology of the Internet Troll”

1. Hi Kitty Purr. I guess you have read this page:

   https://pictures-of-cats.org/jim-stevenson-aka-woodsman001.html

   and there are two here (one is the above):

   https://pictures-of-cats.org/tag/woodsman

   Woodsman returns all the time. He has hundreds of aliases. I spot his comments. He can’t resist ranting and insulting. He is completely barmy and he is an ornithologist.

   If you want to subscribe there is a button in the right hand column half way down which will put you on the list or should do. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

2. Hello Michael- new to your site when trying to find out who the nut job Woodsman was-!! Whew he is out there. I surely hope he gets put in jail soon with no computer access.

   A big thank you to everyone for outing him. Is there some way to get a weekly update on your discussions. If so please email me.

   Again thanks for all the work on this.

3. I don’t believe that “dominion” is the correct term to use. I believe that we should be caretakers of the earth and all life upon it.

   Hunting in order to supply ourselves with what we need to survive is one thing, but hunting for “trophies” or just for the “pleasure” of killing another creature is, in my opinion, unconscionable.

   There are several Christian religions that espouse the idea that God is present in all creation–animals as well as man–and I do believe that that has merit and I find that that view resonates with me.

   I have a number of animals (cats, dogs, horses, chinchillas (as pets–not for fur) finches, and fish.) I have seen several of these animals (especially the horses) express empathy and grieve over the death of one of their companions. They are far from “dumb” creatures.

   Trolls like Woodsman001 are despicable whether they actually engage in the killing about which they brag or whether it is just mindless blathering in order to make themselves feel special and superior.

   The man is obviously knowledgeable about anonymous proxy servers and is probably in the IT field. I’m sure that his endless rants bring some sort of entertainment into his sordid little life, but it’s sad that his entertainment is intended to goad, hurt and provoke others.

   He is probably some fairly young grunge coding away mindlessly all day and the whole “expert marksman (Wow, the minute I picked up that dad-burned rifle, I discovered I am one HECK of a marksman killing cats…WOOHOO!!) cat killer” is his version of an online RPG (probably because he would always get eliminated on the first level and he is, therefore, in a funk because he just can’t handle those cyber-guns adequately.)

   Killing hundreds of cats over a 15-year period? Not likely, since he sounds like he is someone in his mid-twenties or early thirties…tops.

4. Yes, we respect each other despite differences and that is how the world should live. I think you are great person, Ruth. Really. You are better than me. I just happen to have started this website and given it my best shot. I don’t pretend to be right all the time. I know I am not. I just do what I can and above all be true to myself. We can only do that at the end of the day.

5. Ben, I think we have had some similar experiences and thoughts. Studying the human body has also made me see the folly of time and chance being responsible for us. It started with studying genetics in high school. DNA is a code, basically a language, and that made me really uncomfortable without being able to say why. The why is you can’t have a language without an intelligence. Why should those particular three bases on a DNA strand code for that, why do they mean this trait and not another, why do they mean anything at all? It’s terrifying to realize there is an intelligence behind creation, an intelligence that created the language of DNA and therefore everything else.
   Therefore, humans will always run from God, so you cannot fault Michael or anyone for being an atheist. It is our nature. Our fallen nature, anyway. We will always be like Adam hiding from God in the Garden. we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ. But Word that spoke the universe into being speaks faith into hearts that are dead. I never tell anyone to make a decision for Christ. They can’t. Just speak the Word and leave it at that.

   Sometimes, by a miracle people are able to allow you to speak that Word without hindering it or trying to silence you or cover it up, even though they don’t believe it. That’s an extraordinary thing, and Michael does this quite often with his website and he should be commended for that. He is able to allow people to speak of belief in God when he does not share that belief. That is why, among other ressons, I consider him a very dear friend, and recognize that he is an extraordinary human being. Though none of us is really good before God, falling short of the perfection we were created for, Michael is a very good man. A man much loved by God, even though he doesn’t believe it. Certainly much loved by the regulars here at PoC. Love for others is a good place to start, since God is love.

   I am sorry to hear, Ben that you may be soon to leave this world. We need thoughtful Christians who really care about the environment and animals and don’t see that concern as odds with the Bible. You will probably see the salvation promised before I do when you depart to be with Christ. Be faithful unto death and He will give you a crown of life. (Rev. 2:10) I’ll see you there in a little while.

6. Maybe if more people read the Bible the world would a better place for all of us

   If people just read the good bits about morals and decency (two sides of A4) and adhered to it, yes the world would be better but let’s put aside all the fiction please. The planet does not need “faith” in a God no one has seen. It needs a realistic and common sense approach to saving the planet and making it better.