11.30.2016 10:11 PM

President Troll

Son Four and I were listening to CBC radio on the way back from the Raps game (we beat the Grizzlies, but kind of didn’t deserve to), and some brilliant feminist gamers were on. One said that the Number One Internet Troll had just won the election. “That’s it,” I said to my boy. “He’s President Troll.”

Oh, and he’s 2.5 million votes behind my candidate, by the way. I bet that news gives him a heart attack. 


28 Comments

  1. Ron says:

    Once again ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Botox Presidency.

  2. Lynn says:

    That explains his hair style and his skin tone.

  3. Peter says:

    This is a much more serious issue than people realize and the full ominous implications are sidestepped by trying to draw artificial distinctions between trolls and ordinary folk, who we are supposed to believe are engaging in reasoned, respectful, intelligent dialogue (Ha!). I’m convinced he won the election because of Twitter and that Twitter is also responsible for this widespread belief that racism, sexism, etc. are growing. Outside of immigration, there were no policy issues I’m aware of concerning race or gender. There is no evidence Trump intends to “turn the clock back” and even that he believes such would be desirable. But Twitter is releasing our collective id and we are now exposed to much more offensive language in the public square, generally spewed in response to something somebody else said that was intended to provoke and succeeded. Twitter, especially in the political realm, is a vehicle for insulting, demeaning, offending, inflaming, etc. and the hyperbole becomes more astringent as the “dialogues” progress. Each side sees the other as being primarily responsible. Both are right.

    Here are the wise words of John Baglow, a.k.a. Dr. Dawg, describing Twitter when he finally realized what a destructive addiction it was and gave it up: Wasted words. Crazed interlocutors. The hissing and spitting of ideological pallbearers, shouldering their dead creeds, barging their way through the crowds, shouting commands and imprecations. Shoddy market stalls. Affectation. Trolls. Poseurs of every stripe. Willful misunderstanding to alibi the gushing toxic spill of call-out culture. Straw men and women. Narcissism.

    We’re just beginning to glimpse the destructive effects of social media, especially on the young. The high-tech boys who invented it sold us a package of goods about “communication”, “bringing people together” yada, yada. What’s it’s actually doing is awakening the atavistic appeal of the mob that is never as far away as we tell ourselves. Like junk food, even when we suspect it’s not very good for us, we can’t stop because it’s just so easy and so much damn fun.

  4. redraven says:

    Donald Trump is a trollaholic and there is no cure for psychotic narcissism, though you might want to consider becoming a prepper up in that cottage of yours;)

  5. Daryl gordon says:

    A successful campaign directs resources and strategy toward winning the election based on the existing rules for winning the presidency. In this case, ignore weak Republican states (NY, Cal) concentrate on winnable areas.

    Sounds like an intelligent use of resources, didn’t have to blow the budget on Beyonce and the like.

  6. David_M says:

    It’s true we had something like 19 or 20 turnovers but in the end we kept pace and outscored the battered and bruised Grizzlies.
    I think the win was deserved.

    Oh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump did have a heart attack. He’s well out of his depth and the stress of actually performing as POTUS will likely catch up to him.

    • pat says:

      Great team in Toronto, but I still pick Cleveland in the east, and probably to repeat as champs. Having said that, if they can keep this core together and add a few pieces Toronto will be a real contender –

      • Lyndon Dunkley says:

        Basketball is the rare sport where the team with the best player in the league always wins, with the rare exception of perhaps the Spurs in 14 and the Pistons in 04. Derozan is very good but he doesn’t have that elite je ne sais quoi. The NBA might as well cancel the playoffs and have a best of 21 between the Cavs and Warriors.

        • David_M says:

          The season is long. A healthy team at the end can mean a lot.
          I say play them all and see where it takes us.

        • pat says:

          Wilt Camberlain losing regularly to the Celtics with Bill Russel, Bob Cousy etc. Michael Jordan losing to the Celtics, and Pistons. Kareem losing after Oscar, and until Magic. The 04 pistons, and 2014 Spurs. The best player doesn’t always win, but the player on the best regular season team usually gets the MVP – It’s a team game.

          • pat says:

            Ever heard of Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West? Great players, two of the best of all time, but they didn’t have the team to win as often as they should have – it’s a team game.

  7. Charlie says:

    BUT THE ILLEGALS, WARREN, YOU HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE ILLEGALS!!

    Trump would have 99% of the popular vote if Obama didn’t FedEx ballots to all those illegal immigrants.

    #MAGA

  8. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Charlie,

    Fools! Don’t they know that DHL is a lot cheaper?

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