What defines trolling vs. moderator double standards?

Can someone explain to me how this counts as trolling?

adelon said:Well, if that's the case, you're an extreme racist.
So skin color and ethnic background are your metrics for determining human value? You think external traits matter so much that by trying to judge origin based on looks, you're basically engaging in racial profiling—only to pull out your "righteous anti-racist sword" to defend them.

But this isn't:

Freedom said:And why wouldn't they be students? Western values are being implemented in FSA territory, so there's a huge emphasis on education.

Freedom said:International businessmen create the very value you use in your daily life. Try showing some gratitude.

Freedom said:This thread should just be renamed "Bring back Adolf."

Freedom
I can't even wrap my head around a world where the USA isn't the top superpower. Does such a world even make sense?

Freedom said:The smartest move Canada could make for its security is joining NATO. You won't find a better nuclear umbrella than NATO.

Freedom said:That’s what NATO is for—so you can sleep easy instead of stressing about whether Russia is going to hit you with a nuke.

Freedom said:If you spent just one day in America, you'd change your mind. Even Mikhail Gorbachev realized communism was a bust after just one visit to the States.

Freedom said:If only all of Syria would turn green.

Freedom said:Kilgore is hitting you guys with arguments like you're heavy bags at a gym.

Freedom said:You just made the biggest mistake of your life.

Freedom said:That’s wrong, because democracy hasn't actually reached Syria yet. Except for parts of Daraa, Idlib, Ghouta, and Aleppo.

Look, those quotes are his full messages, not cherry-picked snippets. His entire body of work looks exactly like this. Every single one of his posts was reported, yet he hasn't received a single warning.

It's a textbook example of trolling. The guy is a professional troll, yet he keeps posting without any interference instead of getting a permanent ban from the site.

Meanwhile, the user who tried to explain—in a pretty blunt way—to another user why their views were wrong? That guy gets hit with a warning for "trolling."

I’ll ask again: do the moderators here even know what trolling is?

And why is Freedom still allowed to post?

Good grief, the USA again... If one of the moderators doesn't step in soon, I suppose I'll have to take matters into my own hands.

William Bennett53 said:Man, here we go again with the USA... Honestly, if one of the mods doesn't step in soon, I might just have to take matters into my own hands.

Don't you dare. Without him, the whole landscape of politics would feel completely hollow.
I mean it, seriously, please don't.🕺

Zachary Torres81 said:Don't. Politics wouldn't be the same without him.
Seriously, please, don't.🕺

Fine, if you want to go that route, then bring back Kansas and wipe every single troll ban ever issued to everyone on this politics subforum.

On the other hand @Freedom, he's basically a trolling machine.

The whole discussion about Syria has turned into such massive trolling that it’s actually unbelievable.
The trolls just barge in and drive away anyone being reasonable.
As if the situation with Ukraine and Russia wasn't enough to push out everyone with a different opinion, now it's happening with Syria too. It's either clones or people who have never even touched this topic suddenly flooding the thread with comments.

I could easily point out at least 20 separate trolling posts right here. And yet, we're opening a thread about @USA trolling? 🐔
Not to mention all the constant copy-pasting from sites like RT, Sputnik, or Fox News...

I mean, are we seriously considering banning someone just for pointing this out?

Freedom said:http://www.nytimes.com/turkish-politics-update/1435421/

Basically, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is showing his teeth now. It’s not just some wild theory anymore; the major American news outlets have officially reported it.

😁

That would be absolutely unforgivable, and I think we all need to collectively move past that idea immediately.

Agreed.

"Do you support Russian interference in Syria"

That word "interference" really rubs me the wrong way every single time I see this thread...

I actually posted about it once before and ended up with two strikes. Fair enough, since my tone was pretty rude and blunt back then...

But now, asking politely: can we please drop the "interference" part?
(Especially since the moderator over at Reddit is notorious for doubling threads and tripling polls...)

It’s bothersome.
It’s irritating.
It just doesn't sit right...

P.S. I have nothing against our younger neighbors, but if something is an eyesore, it's an eyesore!

Sam Alvarez4 said:Same here.

"Do you support Russian interference in Syria"

That word "interference" sticks in my craw every single time I open this thread.

I mentioned it once before and got slapped with two warnings. Fair enough, I guess—I was being rude and condescending about it.

But now I'm asking politely: can we just get rid of the word "interference"?
(Especially since the guy running this forum is famous for doubling up on threads and tripling the polls.)

It’s annoying.
It’s irritating.
It’s an eyesore.

P.S. I have nothing against the younger generation of neighbors, but if something is an eyesore, it's an eyesore.

Honestly, it bugs me too. I've thought about asking the mods to clean this up properly a few times already. 🙂

I honestly think the USA is brilliant 😁

Sam Alvarez4 As stated by:
That’s just plain wrong. @Freedom is nothing more than a glorified troll factory.

The whole discussion surrounding Syria has devolved into such an unbelievable level of trolling that it’s honestly becoming impossible to take anything seriously anymore.
They come charging in like wild animals and run the tame ones right out of the territory.
It’s almost as if the conflict between Russia and Ukraine wasn't enough to scare off the people who refuse to think for themselves. Now, suddenly, we have this influx regarding Syria. It’s the same old pattern: a swarm of mindless clones and people who have never uttered a single word on this topic before suddenly appearing out of nowhere to flood the boards with their scripted comments.

I could easily pull together at least twenty separate posts that were nothing more than pure trolling. And yet, here we are, opening a whole new thread about... @Is the USA just trolling us at this point? 🐔
I won't even get started on the endless cycle of mindless copying and pasting from outlets like RT, Sputnik, or those fringe propaganda sites. It’s honestly exhausting.

Or perhaps it’s our esteemed, never-sanctioned colleague who spends his entire existence trolling everyone and acting like he's the ultimate authority on everything, all while the moderators sit there completely oblivious to it.

Here is the latest example.

I honestly don't know how we can even have this conversation without someone losing their mind, but here we are. I’ve been watching this thread unfold, and frankly, some of you seem to be operating on a completely different plane of reality. It’s exhausting. Take a look at what William Bennett53 is suggesting—it's nothing short of delusional. You cannot simply ignore the historical weight of these geopolitical shifts and expect things to remain static. We aren't living in some vacuum where decisions made in Washington D.C. don't have massive, cascading consequences across the globe. Every move by the administration carries weight, and pretending otherwise is just willful ignorance. And then there's Richard Sanders7, who seems convinced that everything is going according to plan. If only! To suggest that the current political landscape is stable is like saying a house built on quicksand is perfectly secure just because the front door looks nice. It’s absurd. We need to stop dancing around the edges of the issue. The tension between major powers isn't just some minor disagreement over trade tariffs; it’s a fundamental struggle for influence that dictates the security of the entire Western world. If we continue to underestimate the strategic maneuvers being played out on the international stage, we aren't just being naive—we're being dangerous. We need more than just surface-level analysis; we need a deep, unflinching look at how these power dynamics actually function. Anything less is just noise.

Who says, right in the heat of the debate:

They’ve finally been declassified. An American instructional video. He lays out a detailed breakdown on how to effectively neutralize attack helicopters when you're caught in the middle of asymmetric warfare.
I’m honestly starting to get a real sense of dread here—I'm genuinely afraid we're about to watch the Hindu territories begin to collapse in earnest.

And here you go—I’ve included a clip from the movie Rambo at the link. 👍 You can always expect this kind of nonsense from him; it’s basically high school level trolling at its finest. What the USA is pulling right now is nothing more than textbook behavior.

He’s never been a cardboard cutout, and he sure as hell isn't starting now. 🤔 He’s just out there policing everyone, acting like he owns the place because he’s got that moderator badge.

Freedom,? Is that the same guy who blames Russia for everything under the sun—including being born?
Because of trolls like him (honestly, he’s usually the only one), us sane people just steer clear of any threads about Ukraine, Syria, or whatever else.
For the love of God, someone please ban him already. I'm definitely not the only one asking. 🙂

Sam Alvarez4 said:...same here.

"Do you support Russian interference in Syria"

That "interference" bit just rubs me the wrong way every single time I open this thread.

...

And then she’d probably get pissed if someone called her a Nazi or a fascist over there... I mean, seriously, it's all bluff. Most of us just bail the second we see a thread where "Freedom" is trolling like usual... and you're getting worked up over one little word choice? Like, maybe it was intentional, maybe not, but it's not that deep. Honestly, lady, get over it. That era is long gone; we're living in a democracy now. By your logic, you should be running around every sub-forum reporting anyone who uses a different dialect. It's just nonsense.

John Scott63 said:"Freedom"? You mean that tired old joke where Russia is somehow responsible for everything—every single thing that goes wrong in the world just because they exist?
Because of trolls like him—and honestly, sometimes he’s the only one here—regular people like us just stop talking about Ukraine, Syria, or anything related...
For the love of God, someone please just ban him already. I’m definitely not the only one asking you to do it. 🙂

What's your problem? Just put him on ignore. Why the massive witch hunt against one harmless troll?

Freedom is currently serving an accumulative ban, and I’ve personally tacked on an extra week due to their repeated offenses.
I believe we have everything settled for the time being.