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Abstract

annot recall the name of the artist or when it was painted. Photo by author.</figcaption></figure><h1 id="c8cd">Why Isn’t Gullible in the Dictionary?</h1><p id="ac68">When I was about 19, I looked up gullible in the dictionary. Someone told me it wasn’t in there, and I immediately checked.</p><p id="cb18">I should’ve pivoted right then to become a high school Goth and graduate to be a Writer of Greeting Cards because the cruel laughter of the prankster spoke volumes. I would suck at Life, for a long time…possibly even now.</p><p id="74a5">The person who trolled me — in real-time, because the Internet didn’t exist, can ya believe it? — got a kick out of my youthful naïveté.</p><p id="08b8">That was my first troll.</p><p id="3572">In addition to being strangely oblivious to the dangers in the World of Men, I’ve sometimes depended on the kindness of strangers.</p><p id="f7cc">I guess JW’s personal message should serve as a warning, and I assume her account has been hacked.</p><p id="d9f1">Whatever the case — I intend to keep it to myself when I win Mega Millions.</p><figure id="2993"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*M-DgyB--Jp2Ajs5q"><figcaption>I would’ve made a terrific goth. Wouldn’t it be great to have a wardrobe all in black?! Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/ja/@lofiloup?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Louie Castro-Garcia</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h1 id="bc06">Online Parasites</h1><p id="8b0b">When I saw a response from JW, I nearly peed my pants. She has 273,000 followers, I’d guestimate, so my comment must have dazzled her.</p><p id="bdf4">She’s not my fave writer on this platform but I am an easy mark for rubbing shoulders with famous people and/or their airbrushed photos.</p><p id="daa4">The Web is a dangerous place, not unlike real life, but I have trouble grokking this.</p><p id="fdaf">In some respects, it feels easier to protect yourself in normal, 3D life — by staying out of bad neighborhoods after dark, and/or running like hell when you hear the sound of a gunshot.</p><p id="3cac">On the Web, bad actors seem to emerge from nowhere. They are parasites who take over their hosts.</p><p id="d0bb">It’s no trick to scroll through JW’s comments and find people like me.</p><h1 id="fb31">Final Troll Lessons</h1><p id="4c93">I am confident the world is only slightly more dangerous than it was a half-century ago when the Web hadn’t yet been invented by Al Gore. We have one thing now we didn’t have then: constant hysteria and polarizing commentary on every event, small or large.</p><p id="5878">Ironically, that’s JW’s bread and butter and she’s built a tremendous following as a crisis writer.</p><p id="1412"><i>Medium</i> is ultimately a platform for sharing our thoughts, lives, and writing. It’s not logical or possible to give

Options

that up by censoring oneself.</p><p id="f4d2">In retrospect, my comment to JW seems too detailed but why should I feel bad? The issue is the existence of trolls in the first place.</p><p id="73e9">Trolls cannot be defeated by retreating somewhere safe. I am better off ignoring their comments, reporting the violation, and getting on with life.</p><p id="1b9b">What makes them so infuriating is they cannot be confronted. They hide behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz.</p><p id="8a87">They are unpleasant reminders that a certain percentage are going to hide under bridges and in other dark places, waiting to pounce on children and gullible adults.</p><p id="25e6"><a href="https://jeancampbell-25104.medium.com/subscribe">Want an email heads-up for new articles? Click Me</a>.</p><p id="6d3e"><a href="https://medium.com/membership">Want to join Medium? Click Me.</a></p><p id="e8c4"><i>Jean Campbell recently started her first <a href="https://jeancampbell.substack.com/"><b>Substack</b> newsletter</a> to laser focus on getting her book, </i><b>City of Lies: A Street Hustler’s Omaha Journey </b><i>published.</i></p><div id="8f08" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-single-personality-trait-that-predicts-success-fc553cef865"> <div> <div> <h2>The Single Personality Trait That Predicts Success</h2> <div><h3>And how you can foster more of it</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*vHIcZgprmwMJc3Sy)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="a578" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-inscrutable-motives-of-go-getters-e1ec14cfa1a6"> <div> <div> <h2>The Inscrutable Motives of Go-Getters</h2> <div><h3>Do you lack a normal FOMO response?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*fiacrzW57OHPSmSO)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="1de9" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/is-medium-vanity-publishing-a3eb4c10576b"> <div> <div> <h2>Is Medium Vanity Publishing?</h2> <div><h3>What happened when I said “No” to murder, rape, and torture</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*yHL23KD6gvEn81bi)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

HIGH TROLLERS

Jessica Wildfire Sent a WhatsApp Link

Memories of my first troll ever came sweeping back

Medium was my safe place, my sanctuary, and a hobbit hole.

I was booted off a true crime pub early on — after a massive wall of silence from the editor —but I persisted.

Despite losing followers one afternoon (by the hundreds), I remained faithful.

After the Summer of Bonuses passed by like a freak tsunami, I abided like The Dude.

I still believe in Medium, although I admit it’s not heaven on earth.

The latest glitch happened when Medium-famous blogger JW sent me her personal WhatsApp phone number to hook me up with an investment opportunity.

I’ve never gotten formal training for spotting grifters, but I smell Troll.

Like The Dude, I poured myself a White Russian and abided. Photo by Taylor Beach on Unsplash

The Comment and the Weird Response

I left JW a comment thanking her for an article about how the middle-class is taking it up the butt, in which I overshared.

I summarized my financial struggles, complained about being Gen X, and generally had a bad case of verbal doo-doo, bordering on self-pity.

For this, I am sorry JW and World.

Looking back, I totally regret sharing personal details on the Web.

It’s impossible not to share personal information if you have any kind of social media presence, yet this fake JW got my goat.

Oversharing is something a tween would do. Since I recently ordered a glowing orb that changes into 12 colors, dubbed “the perfect gift for the tween in your life,” along with a set of blacklight pillowcases, I’m feeling particularly tween-vulnerable.

JW sent me a message to immediately get in touch regarding a 100% foolproof investment opportunity.

Abstract rendition of how I felt when I saw JW sent me a message. Crystal Bridges museum; contemporary art. Cannot recall the name of the artist or when it was painted. Photo by author.

Why Isn’t Gullible in the Dictionary?

When I was about 19, I looked up gullible in the dictionary. Someone told me it wasn’t in there, and I immediately checked.

I should’ve pivoted right then to become a high school Goth and graduate to be a Writer of Greeting Cards because the cruel laughter of the prankster spoke volumes. I would suck at Life, for a long time…possibly even now.

The person who trolled me — in real-time, because the Internet didn’t exist, can ya believe it? — got a kick out of my youthful naïveté.

That was my first troll.

In addition to being strangely oblivious to the dangers in the World of Men, I’ve sometimes depended on the kindness of strangers.

I guess JW’s personal message should serve as a warning, and I assume her account has been hacked.

Whatever the case — I intend to keep it to myself when I win Mega Millions.

I would’ve made a terrific goth. Wouldn’t it be great to have a wardrobe all in black?! Photo by Louie Castro-Garcia on Unsplash

Online Parasites

When I saw a response from JW, I nearly peed my pants. She has 273,000 followers, I’d guestimate, so my comment must have dazzled her.

She’s not my fave writer on this platform but I am an easy mark for rubbing shoulders with famous people and/or their airbrushed photos.

The Web is a dangerous place, not unlike real life, but I have trouble grokking this.

In some respects, it feels easier to protect yourself in normal, 3D life — by staying out of bad neighborhoods after dark, and/or running like hell when you hear the sound of a gunshot.

On the Web, bad actors seem to emerge from nowhere. They are parasites who take over their hosts.

It’s no trick to scroll through JW’s comments and find people like me.

Final Troll Lessons

I am confident the world is only slightly more dangerous than it was a half-century ago when the Web hadn’t yet been invented by Al Gore. We have one thing now we didn’t have then: constant hysteria and polarizing commentary on every event, small or large.

Ironically, that’s JW’s bread and butter and she’s built a tremendous following as a crisis writer.

Medium is ultimately a platform for sharing our thoughts, lives, and writing. It’s not logical or possible to give that up by censoring oneself.

In retrospect, my comment to JW seems too detailed but why should I feel bad? The issue is the existence of trolls in the first place.

Trolls cannot be defeated by retreating somewhere safe. I am better off ignoring their comments, reporting the violation, and getting on with life.

What makes them so infuriating is they cannot be confronted. They hide behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz.

They are unpleasant reminders that a certain percentage are going to hide under bridges and in other dark places, waiting to pounce on children and gullible adults.

Want an email heads-up for new articles? Click Me.

Want to join Medium? Click Me.

Jean Campbell recently started her first Substack newsletter to laser focus on getting her book, City of Lies: A Street Hustler’s Omaha Journey published.