How to Deal with E-Thugs

Tired of being harassed online? All the leet speak and constant taunting from *add username here* getting on you last reserve nerve? Want a few tips on counteracting the annoyance that is e-thuggery?

The first thing you should take into account is the mindset of your common internet gangster. This person could be some punk kid who gets his jollies by acting like Mr. Big Shot via an online environment.

Or they could be someone who tales abuse from others on a daily basis. And instead of standing up to the attacker, they ironically fire off angst rockets at people on the internet. In either case, This should not be tolerated by anyone.

An easy way to tell if your dealing with a child is by looking at the subject matter they like to discuss. It isn't so much the topic as it is the viewpoint. Look at post history if on a message board. Snap judgments and an abundance of off topic posts are usually a dead giveaway.

An adult playing the role will be more likely to share their opinion in a civilized fashion in most serious topics. Their insults are more advanced as well. Not advanced to the extent of being ground breaking put downs, but better than the cliche racial or sexuality based jabs.

So how do you deal with the common e-thug? Either ignore them or mess with them physiologically. Make it a point to reply to their posts with a humorous response. The idea is to steal the proverbial spotlight by acknowledging and one-upping the spamming doofus.