Please don't feed the troll? [was Re: Call for Aman's banning]

[FRITZ JUENGLING]

Years ago, when I was doing my student teaching, my master teacher gave
me a bit of wisdom that was infinitely more valuable than anything I
learned in any class.  I think it applies in this situation.  "Fritz,"
he said, "never wrestle with a pig, because you'll both get dirty, but
the pig likes it."
Fritz J

>>> JMB at STRADLEY.COM 5/21/2007 5:14 PM >>>
        A little earlier on Google Groups, from 4/11/1995:  "Haven't
you
read the signs on the net "Don't feed the trolls". Do you know what
happens when you feed trolls, you get more troll shit."


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf
Of Erik Hoover
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 7:55 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Please don't feed the troll? [was Re: Call for Aman's
banning]

Meine Damen und Herren,

Does anyone have the earliest citation for "Please don't feed the
troll", used in newsgroups and community message boards?  It is an
admonition to ignore belligerent posters.

The earliest I have found is the less formal "Don't feed the troll"
in a post from December 12 1997 in the Google newsgroup archive.

Maybe this has been examined or discussed in detail in the past.  If
so,
my apologies.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Erik

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