Concern troll pretends to support but uses "concern" to hurt morale (HRC GP)

[Her Sister]

Concern Troll is concerned:
In an argument (usually a political debate), a concern troll is someone who is on one side of the discussion, but pretends to be a supporter of the other side with "concerns". The idea behind this is that your opponents will take your arguments more seriously if they think you're an ally.

A concern troll will pretend to care (about the opponent's health, well being, political activism, lifestyle, choices, etc.) while in reality, he or she only wants to cause self doubt and fear. A concern troll tries to undermine that which he or she pretends to support.

http://concerntroll.tumblr.com/
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What Is Concern Trolling? Watch Out For This Subtle Form Of Shaming
Urban Dictionary defines a concern troll as "someone who is on one side of the discussion, but pretends to be a supporter of the other side with 'concerns.'" In other words, it's someone who pretends to support you but couches their disagreements in the form of "concerns," which allows them to justify criticism as the result of worrying about you. "I'm on your side," they say, "but you shouldn't do X, Y, and Z. It looks bad to some people — not that I agree, but I thought you should know."

http://www.bustle.com/articles/144447-what-is-concern-trolling-watch-out-for-this-subtle-form-of-shaming

Wikipedia:

A concern troll is a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the user's sockpuppet claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the group.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/1/632558/-

concern troll
A person who posts on a blog thread, in the guise of "concern," to disrupt dialogue or undermine morale by pointing out that posters and/or the site may be getting themselves in trouble, usually with an authority or power. They point out problems that don't really exist. The intent is to derail, stifle, control, the dialogue. It is viewed as insincere and condescending.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=concern%20troll

Enter the Concern Troll

But I think it touches on a larger trend in opinionating.

Enter The Concern Troll.

There are two ways of disagreeing with someone. One is to disagree openly. The other is to say, “I support you, but you’re doing it wrong.”

The second is insidious.

The second is condescending, insincere, manipulative. It even says so in the Urban Dictionary definition.

The darkest moment is always just after the concern trolls start pouring in.

“I’m with you,” the concern troll says. “But surely you must see how this looks to people. Not me, of course. But other people. They might think horrible things of you. People might think you were self-centered, fat, slow, rude. Not me, of course. I’m with you. I have your best interests at heart. That’s why I want to warn you. I, you see, know how this ought to be done.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2014/01/13/enter-the-concern-troll/

Dems: Ignore 'concern trolls By Markos Moulitsas - 01/09/08 11:40 AM EST

In the blog world we call this “concern trolling” — offering a poisoned apple in the form of advice to political opponents that, if taken, would harm the recipient.

http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/markos-moulitas/24407-dems-ignore-concern-trolls


Here from Geek Feminism Wiki but we can apply to any topic/group !

A Concern troll:
A concern troll is a person who participates in a debate posing as an actual or potential ally who simply has some concerns they need answered before they will ally themselves with a cause. In reality they are a critic. Concern trolling in geek feminism communities can result in continual reversion to Feminism 101 discussions in attempts to appease the troll's concerns, frustrating attempts at more serious discussion. Concern trolls are not always self-aware; they may also view themselves as potential allies who have just, oddly, never met a feminist opinion they liked.

Concern trolls can be identified primarily because they will retreat from, rather than engage with or be convinced by, answers to the questions they pose. They may repeatedly ask a certain question in feminist discussions without ever absorbing or replying to answers from previous discussions. They will often back into typical anti-feminist arguments, such as expressing concern that an argument is too "extreme" or a feminist too "strident" or even "hysterical". Another common tactic is insisting that some subjects are more important than others, for example, that media depictions of women shouldn't be criticised while violence against women continues.

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Concern_troll

How do you respond?
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[Her Sister]

1. Concern troll pretends to support but uses "concern" to hurt morale (GD16)

Last edited Sat Jul 2, 2016, 08:19 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512231874

and:

Concern troll pretends to support but uses "concern" to hurt morale (GD)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027973729

[Her Sister]

12. More: What is Concern Trolling?

Concern trolling is a form of Internet trolling in which someone enters a discussion with claims that he or she supports the view of the discussion, but has concerns. In fact, the concern troll is opposed to the view of the discussion, and he or she uses concern trolling to sow doubt and dissent in the community of commenters or posters. Although this practice originated on the Internet, it has since spread to the real world as well, with concern trolls popping up in a variety of places from network television to op-ed columns.

Artful concern trolling involves developing a believable persona as a supporter of a cause who has legitimate concerns. In an example of concern trolling, a group of people might be having a political discussion on a website about a candidate they support. The concern troll would log on and say “I'm concerned that this candidate might not be strong enough to beat the opposition,” or “I'm worried that the candidate's history in the legislature might be a problem in the election.”

Once a concern troll has sowed dissent or discord, often he or she can sit back and let the other commenters do the rest of the work. When a concern troll has done the job correctly, the discussion will split, factions will emerge, and support for the cause will have eroded. Concern trolling can also be highly distracting, as people band together to oppose the concern troll, rather than discussing serious issues, including valid concerns which should be addressed

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-concern-trolling.htm

[leftofcool]

2. I've seen a few of these around lately.

[Her Sister]

3. Yes remember they are very "concerned!"

So concerned!

[NYC Liberal]

4. Like the ones who think we're being too mean to Trump.

[Her Sister]

6. OMG! That's extreme dinosaur-shit!

Love how people always always give themselves away! They do it sooner than later, and they don't realize that they do.

People give themselves away by what they choose and by what they don't choose to say or do!

[DemonGoddess]

5. K&R!

There sure is a ton of it in GD 2016 isn't there?

[treestar]

7. One answer

"Thanks for your concern."

[Her Sister]

11. "Thanks for your concern."

Perfect!

[mcar]

8. Seems familiar

[Her Sister]

9. You recognize it, eh?

[BobbyDrake]

10. "Concernacopia" When your forum is overflowing with obvious fake worry.

But they are keeping my Ignore button busy, that's for sure.

[displacedtexan]

13. College campus concern trolls were like cockroaches in 1972.

The first one I encountered on campus claimed to support McGovern, but just had serious concerns about his party platform, and he just didn't know if he could bring himself to vote for him. Interesting things about this guy: he was always around the TCU campus, but no one ever seemed to know him or see him in classes. And there were only 7000 students at that that time...kind of hard to blend in. He disappeared sometime between the party convention and the election, but I've always wondered how many ratf@&kers like him were trolling other schools.

The concerns about the platform are not new, by any means. The platform is one of the easiest targets in a national election cycle.

[Her Sister]

14. Woah! That's some real life troll!

Think that guy was patient zero ? Geeeeeesh!!!!

[displacedtexan]

15. Donald Segretti's handiwork in action.

Between the concern trolls and the FBI buzzcut hairdos copying down license plate numbers at peace rallies, my undergrad years were never boring. But let's not talk about the streaking, OK?