What's with this fad of Trolling?

So a "troll" as defined by Wikipedia is "In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response."

I understand sarcasm; I love sarcasm! But this whole swearing at people for the sake of causing an emotional response is a little ridiculous. I don't understand why people feel like they need to express themselves like that.

There is enough negativity and horrible stuff in this world that people on the Internet with nothing to add to society should add to it by cussing up a storm at random people.

But I fear that people will never get over this fad. I feel that negativity spreads like a fungus. Just as a smile is contagious, a bad mood is infectious. When there are always people around with nothing positive to say, it brings everyone down.

I can only laugh at these ridiculous, pointless comments for so long. I believe it needs to be stopped. But what can I do? I'm only one blogger in a whole ocean of bigger bloggers, writers, and unfortunately, trolls.

What causes an itch?

Thinking about the fact that out skin is comprised of millions of skin cells that are forever flaking off and then being replace, what is the real cause of an itch? I'm not talking about itches with other reasons, fungus, dandruff, etc. I mean just a regular itch. I have no idea about this one. Help anyone?

Why don't we look more closely at word origins?

I have been making connections in my mind about words. Lately, not because I'm perverted, I've been thinking of the word masturbation. I've been thinking about the root "turb" because the only other words I associate with that root are disturb, perturb, and bioturbation. So I looked at the word root, "turb" comes from the root which means, "disturb, confuse, turmoil or crowd." Interesting. Also part of the word is: stuprare "defile" (oneself), from stuprum "defilement, dishonor."

So something that the world seems as normal and acceptable, taking the actual word apart shed some light on the actual repercussions of that action.

Word origins... informative.

Why do some people take offense when others don't like the same things they like?

This question applies to me. But the times that it bothers me most is when I ask someone, "do you like such and such?" and they reply with " I HATE that!" I take that personally because the word hate is so strong, and I feel that if people hate something that I love, by extension, they hate me.

I don't think I'm the only person like this. I often feel disappointed when someone criticizes or dislikes something that I love or appreciate. But we just need to remember that it's just taste.

The reason I bring this up today is the whole Harry Potter craze going on. I like the Harry Potter books; but I am better without them. They really have a negative effect on me. But that doesn't mean that I disrespect people who like it.

Anyway, I feel this is a valid question.

Why do mustaches look so hideous on younger "men?"

I go to school at BYU-Idaho (holla!). And we have a certain "code" with which to live our college lives. One rule is that the only facial hair men can have on campus is a mustache. And the more I see these younger guys with mustaches, the more I question WHY?

On another hand, I know several professors with mustaches, and they look great with them.

Is it an age difference? Is it a maturity thing?

All I know is, I've never yet seen a mustache that enhances a younger guy's face.

EWW.....

Why do we close our eyes to hear better, but don't plug our ears to see better?

I close my eyes often when trying to tune my cello; just focusing on one sense at a time helps me to tune more accurately. But we don't do that with any of the other senses. We don't plug our ears to see better, we don't plug our noses to hear better. Weird...

Can something MAKE you happy?

I got out of an orchestra practice today and I was beaming. I thought to myself, "Music makes me happy!" Then I pondered further on that phrase, can something really make you happy? Or do we choose to be happy?

I love music; it's a part of me, and it helps me emote better than most other forms of expression. But does it MAKE me happy? No, because sometimes I get sad when listening to or playing music.

I guess that question is really about emotions. Are they something that can be chosen, or are they that easily swayed by external stimuli? Or is it some mixture of both? More than likely that is the answer; seldom are things so black-and-white as we think of them.

Yet, it's still a question I have. But I'll continue to enjoy music. I'll always love it. And I hope that happiness is always an emotion that accompanies many musical experiences.

What is the difference between Retro, Vintage, and old/tacky?

Now, many words have similiar meanings, but have different connotations. But what I'm talking about is, what makes something old and boring or old and awesome? The vintage era is upon us, and has been for quite some time. "Ugh, that's so seventies!" vs. "This is awesome! Does it fit?"

Two of my brothers are into vintage clothing and shoes and they look dang good! But there must be a fine line between retro and tacky. Some of the old-time-y architecture and furniture is amazing! But some of those fabrics...blegh!

Where is the line? Is it a taste thing?

Where does this:


(Which I see as the epitome of awesome vintage)

Become this:


(Which is just on the line, to me)

Then finally, it becomes this:


And this:


No, just...no.

Why do so many people hate/fear/distrust Mormons?

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a.k.a. "Mormon." The question is one I've had for a long time. We've seen this kind of persecution in the past, with the Jews, the Protestant movement (Martin Luther), the Civil Rights movement, and others.

I've heard jokes about avoiding Jehovah's witnesses and scoffs about other religions, but seldom have I seen such a wide perspective on Mormons. People either hate us, or they respect us.

I worked for a market research company and on the rare occasion where I got into a personal conversation with the people, the question "Where are you from?" inevitably led to "are you Mormon?" I'm not ashamed of my faith so I answered yes. And one particular man said, "bless your heart!" Which made my day. He also went on to say that they have the missionaries over for dinner sometimes. What a sweetheart!

But what is it about us that people take a scunner to? I know that many Mormons don't live the principle of charity and service, and maybe those few people are why the rest don't like Mormons. But, I think it's more than that.

If people have made up their minds to dislike Mormons, there's really nothing to change that. It's an interesting question. WHY?

What's with all the male nurses?

First, let me preface this by saying that my brother is a nurse, and I have no problems with male nurses--this is just a question I have--

I've seen an increasing amount of males become nurses. Which is great! My dad recently went to the hospital and there were three male nurses that were very helpful.

This is a stereotype that needs to be broken--the idea (that apparently I have) that nurses should be female. There is an assumption that because women tend to be more caring and nurturing that they make good nurses, and they do, but why can't men do the job just as well?

I guess what I'll inevitably arrive at is the question of, why are men taking over mostly female positions? Is it a need to show off? Or is it because more stereotypes are being overcome that men can finally do what they want to do?

Or, conversely, have they always been male positions and just recently have women infiltrated those occupations? Hmm...

One thing for sure, and this is my opinion--there are certain occupations that I just don't think women can do well. Construction--the hard physical labor, women are not built for it. On the other hand, men aren't meant to have children or do much of the child raising. I say, embrace the differences and get over this "everything you can do I can do better" attitude.

Only one criteria should govern what one should do for a living: do you love to do it? If yes, then do it! Don't worry about the social norms. Break them.

Scene.

What has Disney done?

I am a child of the 80s, well I was born in '86, so I guess I can say that. And as such, I grew up with all the Disney classics, some of which are still among my favorite movies.

I have to admit I get annoyed when they come up with "Cinderella 4: the return of the return of the Beast." Or things like that. (The Tinkerbell thing going on right now is galling me out*) But a friend told me once that the sequels are for the training of the interns of Disney. That's a little more acceptable.

But what my question really has to do with is this: What happened to innocence? Why do Disney stars end up like this:


And this:



And most recently, like this:



This is from her "new" video, "Can't be tamed," which, when I saw it, I could not believe that A-it was her, B-that her father let her do that! and C-that she would do that. Well, actually I could believe that last one. Let's also hope that the picture of her behind bars is NOT a preview of things to come.

This isn't all Disney's fault; there is the added pressure of an increasing world view as women as sex symbols. And what on earth is her father thinking? I had hopes that because he seemed like a well grounded guy (maybe I was assuming this because he is a country singer, and many older-time country singers deal well with wealth and fame), that Miley would turn out alright.

Sigh. I don't know. I just ask the questions around here. So, why does a "family-friendly" company, like Disney turn out so many... what's the word I'm looking for here... skanky hoes? Oh, that was harsh... the truth hurts...






*For those who don't know me or my family personally that just happen upon this blog, my family has a word: "gall." (Pronounced gahl--rhymes with doll) It basically means a horrid fascination. Imagine you're watching something so corny, but you can't keep your eyes off it because it's so awful! (Most of the old Musicals have a definite "gall" element) That's gall. So when I say "galling me out" I mean, that it's gross and yet I can't look away. Not to say that I've seen any of the tinkerbell movies, heaven forbid...