Trolls are something we all have to put up with online. But a new BBC documentary tried to track them down, and this video shows just how horrible they can be in real life, too.
As part of the BBC documentary Panorama, a reporter tracked down a troll in Cardiff, Wales, who goes by the handle Nimrod Severn. His real names is Darren Burton, and he has a taste for commenting on memorial pages set up on Facebook to honour those who have died. In particular, he’s fond of posting that he hopes the deceased “rot in piss”. Charming.
When the BBC reporter caught up with him, he was keen to ask about his take on things. “Do you think about the effect it has on [people]?” asked the BBC’s Declan Lawn. Burton’s response: “Yeah.” Well, that’s something I guess. But what does he think, when he thinks about them? His response, a pithy: “Fuck ‘em.”
He goes on to say that “Facebook is an open forum” which means he can say whatever he wants. Unsurprisingly, he’s at the receiving end of quite a lot of hate on Facebook. [BBC via The Next Web]
wsDK_II
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 8:52 AMHow do you expect someone to behave if they are being harrased? What is worse is that he is now on the receiving end of quite a lot of hate on Facebook.
for the BBC to be encouraging gang / mob behaviour against an individual, is a terrorist activity.
Timmahh
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:29 AMWhen told people do time for less, his reply was “9 weeks, so what?” I say let him do the time… See how he likes it in real life!
Inform
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:56 PMHe’s probably done time – so its a 9 week holiday with his buddys. He is right in saying; ‘so what?’.
vin
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:43 AMyou might well be right, re – terrorist activity…
the way i see it, if he’s willing to back up the fact that ‘fb is an open forum’, then he can deal with it…
It’s like parents beating their kids… they have no juristiction to do that these days, so they get away with being pricks… the internet’s exactly the same :)
HighlyDubious
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 8:55 AMI always wondered what they look like.
Timmahh
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:27 AMThese people are just sad little boys with no concept of decency or empathy. It’s just a bit of fun, no one gets hurt! Sad thing is, if someone was to do the same thing to them, they would probably think nothing of it! Sad sad little boys!
Josh
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:34 AMThere will will always be consequences to your actions (and it seems many people forget that when trolling the internet) so he should be quite able to handle the harassment on Facebook…remember it’s an “open forum”. So in the words of Darren Burton himself, he can “rot in piss”.
olearymo
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:44 AMI have to say, I’m not sure I understand why they even bothered to do this.
Do they also track down people who drive through puddles and splash pedestrians? I mean, is it really that much of a mystery?
Jaezass
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 9:56 AMSeriously? You’re comparing pedestrian hazards with people who think nothing of defacing someone’s memorial? Not just defacing, either, some of the language is illegal, as in racist! This may not be important in the scheme of things, but sometimes it’s nice to see a scum-bag get his/her comeuppance!
InformedGamer
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:28 AMI’d be more offended by someone driving through the puddle and splashing me than someone posting racist comments on a memorial. Why do people feel the need to have their “memorial” in such a public place as that of Facebook? You’re merely asking for trouble.
Jaezass
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:36 AMDoes it really matter where they post the memorial?
They still don’t deserve the blatantly hateful and frankly degenerate thoughts of one of these trolls defiling their loss! A car splashing water on you is an accidental hapinstance, these slugs are a blight and there is no way to defend their actions. Is there?
Antipodean
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:39 AM+1
Blake
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:40 AMHaving illegal language is a system gone horribly wrong.
I don’t agree with what he said, but I have to fall on the side of defending his right to say it.
Jay
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 7:41 PMno having people who use language that needs to be considered illegal is wrong. Illegal language is simply language that some people find so offensive that they will openly challenge you eg racism. There is no reason to say it in most instances, people say it to get a reaction eg trolling
olearymo
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 5:24 PMdude please read what I wrote. I wasn’t comparing it, I was comparing the kind of person who does it. An arsehole.
What I’m saying is, was it really a mystery what they’re like in real life?
Big Windows
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:33 AMGood point… I guess trolling is likened to a faceless type of bullying though… Not only are you attacked but you don’t really have an emotionally based right of reply… There is no empathic based communication as a result of trolling a troll. You cannot (likening this to a victims statement in court) see if that person understands the impact they may have had… Not that it matters if the person you are dealing with cares…
Antipodean
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:51 AMThe system may be wrong in a lot of ways, but racism is something that needs to be shut down right now. I’m not ethnic either, just sick of seeing people vilified for the colour of their skin!!
Antipodean
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:52 AMDamn meant for Blake!
This comments section can be a real pain sometimes.
Matt
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:35 PMMaking laws against racism is not the right way to fight racism.
All that does is put in the head of future generations that there is something different about a particular race. If a law passes where I cannot say anything racist about black people, and I raise my son whom has never experienced racism so he is oblivious to it, but then sees a law that puts one race on a pedestal, it immediately puts in his head that this race is different.
Setting laws on races, either bad or good, is the wrong way to achieve a colorblind society.
Antipodean
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:51 PMThat’s all fine in a perfect world where people generally treat each other like human beings. Thing is,… your average bogan has no respect for man nor beast, let alone a man with brown skin. If people treated each other with respect, we wouldn’t need laws, but racism just gets worse without them. At least now, the asshats that vilify others for their differences have to keep their mouths shut in public. You gotta start somewhere.
Titsnass
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 3:52 PM+1
If it wasn’t for laws that stop racial vilification, people would be a damn sight less civil then they are now. Which is to say, bogans in particular, people are in general assholes until someone threatens them with a stick!
Matt
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:32 PMThis will be my response to any quibble like this.
I may not agree with what he says but I will defend to the death his right to say it.
Matt
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 2:12 PMIt was directed at the world we live in, not a perfect world.
You can NOT rid the world of racism, by making racist laws.
You can not achieve a colorblind society, by making distinct laws against races.
You can not elevate one race above another, good or bad.
Blake
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:42 AMHe sounds more like a griefer than a troll to me.
Like he’s just trying to bother people rather than merely baiting reactions out of people.
Russ
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:55 AMdid anyone see how many freind requests the reporter had?
Rob
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:57 AMThis is just ridiculous, so what if the guy writes horrible comments on Facebook pages. There are a load more important and actual legitimate criminals out there that should be the focus of our attention.
Maybe if one day in the future the worst thing you have to look forward to is someone being a jerk online it might just b e worth the effort but until than meh.
And for anyone who wants to go on about bullying and what not, I was a victim of that shit all through my schooling years both physical and emotional and I still think this is a load of crap.
Noddy
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:00 PMSounds like Stockholm syndrome to me!
Corey
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:42 PMYou know… I don’t understand people these days… That isn’t even trolling, it’s blatant harassment. Trolling is supposed to be funny, not degenerating to the point of opening slandering a person for their skin colour/race/nationality with such comments as “Rot in piss”. In all honesty, people that call themselves trolls and say stuff like that, lack the humour required to actually really troll, and as of such are just miscreants.
Kah
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:05 PMThis! – Few seem to understand what trololol really is!
Franz
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:02 PMThe internet is no perfect society, just like real life, yet stupid people seem to believe it is, even though they know the real world isn’t.
Nimrod7
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 3:02 PMHahaha, this guys the biggest tool I’ve ever seen… Wait… I recognize that bus…