Sup, PI. Been lurking for a while... This composed of a couple of questions and a not-really-a-rant-I-just-find-it-amusing-so-I-don't-really-know-what-to-call-it-yet-it's-related-but-I-generalized-it-to-protect-the-dignity-of-all-those-involved.

I just wanted to know... How many of you argue with a person, and discover a they are a troll within the first several posts/lines and just continue arguing with them out of boredom? Would conversing/debating with a troll to the bitter end and back while doing it knowingly/willingly be trolling? Would this be considered an addiction?

Was doing this on a forum for the past 6 hours. He provides the same points, I argue them away. He joined the forum the same day I posted the topic and only posted in that topic, so I'm 100% sure he's a troll. He tries arguing my points away, but to no avail (since he's just repeating himself) and not giving hard facts. All of his criticisms fall flat because I'm asking him if he'll fix or offer suggestions that will fix the information I give (which is correct information).

I'm wondering... When is he gonna get tired? Because I continued the conversation with him out of sheer boredom and I run on being bored. Now I'm getting bored of from him doing more of the same. I'm not infuriated because I thought he was just another user with a misconception who I then though was stupid. Now I just know he's a stupid troll replaying the same message worded differently. I'm getting tired, but that's due to lack of sleep (and on call for possible jury duty in 5 hours~) rather than arguing with him out of boredom. I think he lives in another time zone (probably in the UK, since that would offer an off work, no bedtime schedual for 12:00 AM to 7 AM PST) because his arguments are getting weaker (by using borderline straw man arguments, <voice="english shantoto"> though nobody can say for sure~</voice>). He then starts attacking my methods which I based the thread on and the methods have practical application outside of what I used them for to prove the topic (an average person wouldn't know the methods unless they were told).

Next related thread I'm posting in that forum I'll just ignore if he responds and let other users argue with him.

So... After all that... Anyone got any overgeneralized (or not) stories of willingly locking horns with obvious trolls?

I don't know whether to congratulate you seriously or sarcastically. When you come to an impasse either of you could be being an ass, and both of you seem either too immature or too stubborn when you don't just note it and move on. That's an unqualified generalization as far as you are concerned, but it might be applicable for all I know.

There's a line between not budging upon principles and no longer evaluating your hypothesis. You see this in scientific debates; emotion gets thrown in with facts. Would you mind telling us why this is a big deal, or is it something somewhat more vague like a scientific debate? I love debates, and personally wouldn't mind one going on for ten hours as long as the contenders vary arguments like a sane person (there are very few of those). I'm also intrigued as to where you were debating.