Internet Troll Sub-Culture’s Savage Spoofing of Mainstream Media [Excerpt]
A new book details the success of trolls in turning the media against itself
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/internet-troll-sub-culture-s-savage-spoofing-of-mainstream-media-excerpt/

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/This-Cant-Have-Nice-Things/dp/0262028948/

I like the correlation with the trickster deities. Somebody (it might have been Joseph Campbell) said, when the gods want to send mankind a message, they send the trickster. That works for me.

If someone succeeds in pushing my buttons, I use it for training. Emotions come from the subconscious. I’m upset because there is some quirk of my personality I haven’t recognized or dealt with consciously. Hence, I value a dose of trickster now and then.

Full disclosure: I’m not going to read the book, at least not now, maybe later. The Scientific American article is enough for me. -RD.