_{https://steemit.com/steemit/@edicted/steemit-where-trolls-go-to-die}
This was my sixth post ever on the blockchain.
2017-19-12

Steem was trading at $3 and was only two weeks away from capping out at $8. More importantly, December 19 was the day that SBD peaked at its highest value! $15!!! It was insane. Every time someone earned $2 on a post, they received one of those dollars in SBD, and that one dollar was actually worth $15 dollars. It was mind blowing.

To put that into perspective a few of my posts have been paying out $20 recently. However, during Dec 19 that $20 would have been at least $60, and 30 of those dollars would be SBD, for a grand total of $30 + $30 * $15 = $330. Seriously, mind blown.

Do you remember these days? There were so many hyped up Steemians ready to quit their jobs and start a new life here on a platform that could free them of debt slavery. Then we hit a bear run for the next year. Wah wah.

The point here is, during this time it seemed like everyone was on their best behavior. I was interacting with a lot of people who had no stake, and everyone was super over-polite thinking that would get them more rewards (probably did). However, this bliss can only last so long.

How many of us can truly say
we are better than this?

I don't have a lot of experience with flagging, but the little I do have is very revealing. You don't even have to flag someone yourself to see what happens. Just watch other users as they flag each other.

I could flag someone for less than 10 cents for a perfectly legitimate reason, but that doesn't matter. The flag enrages them. They'll proceed to flag everything of mine that has a reward simply because I flagged them. Content is irrelevant. It's easy to see how this can spiral into a flag war with two users constantly flagging each other out of spite.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: flagging someone because they flagged you is absolutely pointless. In fact, it's totally counter productive. Why not just upvote yourself instead?

Every flag given should be dealt based on the content of the Discussion. Flags should be handed out because one evaluated the Discussion in question and deemed it worthy of a flag. This could range anywhere from offensive content to spam, plagiarism, or simply being overpaid.

Of course, this view is idealistic and will never happen (and also doesn't factor in bots). I can't stop users from going into fits of rage-blackouts simply because they got flagged for 10 cents. For a large majority, getting flagged does just that. Rational thought goes out the window as both sides do mental gymnastics to 'prove' to themselves that they are in the right. The domino effect is real.

I maintain that there is no point to this behavior other than satisfying an irrational deep-seeded need for revenge. When a flag is thrown the stake of both parties is returned to the reward pool. You've already taken stake away from the flagger by getting flagged. There's no point in retaliation. In fact, from a financial perspective, retaliation can only serve to fuel the fire by several factors. Don't let a troll get under your skin. That is their #1 priority.

I'll tell you whats going to happen! They are going to do just that: power-up simply to enrage whoever they see fit. Not only that, they'll be able to sell their excess votes for SBD. Vote-bots for the win amirite? What are they going to do with this excess SBD? They'll recycle it back into the vote-bot system to get even more flags in. Are we seeing where this is going yet? The Podunk flag wars we see today are nothing compared to the coming storm.

Flags are not the problem. Flags are a great feature and equalizer of the platform. It's a simple and fair system that can't be gamed. It's these emotions we feel when we get flagged that are the problem. They are a sign of scarcity. Anyone who lives in abundance would be completely fine with getting flagged. There's no reason to get upset when something is taken away from you when you already have everything you want.

This emotional attachment to money needs to be broken. This is true not only for combating trolls but also for investing in the cryptosphere in general. There is no gain to be had in riding the waves of volatility on an emotional rollercoaster.

Trollvantage

We can't stop trolls from trolling, but we can profit off of them while also promoting an atmosphere that mitigates their power. Don't give these people power by interacting with them. It takes an incredibly strong, dedicated, forgiving, and righteous person to communicate with a troll without sinking down a level or two. Odds are you are not that person (I know I'm not).

Much like a police officer is a professional at getting you in trouble, a troll is a professional at getting a reaction. The best thing to do 99% of the time is say nothing. Whatever you say can and will be used against you.