Don't Feed the Trolls!

It is both a written rule of the internet and a lesson that every user must learn on his or her own: do not feed the trolls. These "trolls" being the people who take to the internet in hopes of intentionally agitating the people they come into contact with through the use of inflammatory arguments, politically incorrect language, or just a complete lack of logic. Being raised in an internet-wary world, I have long since learned to overlook the arguments of people trying simply to get under my skin. It wasn’t until I was reading Serkan Gorkemli’s “This is a Redneck Argument!” that I actually considered how I might have to handle the situation if a troll, or really anyone I strongly disagree with, wrote a paper that I had to do a consultation on – especially if that paper offended me.

I’m a highly opinionated person at times. I try to keep an open mind about the arguments people present to me and I try to remain academically neutral, even when personally or politically opposed. It hadn’t really occurred to me, though, that I might be faced with a paper, potentially written simply to shock (to “troll”), that I could not choose to just ignore.

In this case, choosing to confront the writer can be as much a mistake as confronting the common internet troll. While trolls feed on the confrontation and thrive from the tension and irritation they cause, confronting a writer about a potentially offensive paper could have an even worse consequence: offending the writer.

I guess the important thing for a consultant in this situation would be to remain neutral and focus on other issues identified in the paper, but also to note that the argument made could offend someone. The advisor in Gorkemli’s article suggests counterpoints and a need for evidence on several of the writer’s generalizations, and that seems like the only role the consultant really can take: to remind the writer that claims need evidence and to try to use the need for evidence to get them to consider other points and claims. If the writer manages to support their claims with evidence and recognizes the risk that comes with writing a potentially offensive paper, yet still chooses to continue with the argument, there doesn’t seem to be anything else the consultant can do.

Now In Living Color!

Don't Judge Me!

When I write for someone else – for one of my peers, that is – I have noticed that I tend to put more care into my work. In class last week, we got into discussions about the roles of the internet in our class. Some people said they felt uncomfortable posting online. I can’t say I really blame them: blogging inherently means posting for the world to see. And that, my friends, is terrifying.

Two weeks ago, I had an appointment with the Speech Center prior to giving a presentation. We were expected to have a draft ready, to present it, and to workshop with the Speech Consultants before our formal presentation. There were two reasons this concept terrified me. First of all, I hate planning what I’m going to say ahead of time – if I know my topic, my thoughts sound better when I’m speaking off the cuff rather than trying to recall word-for-word something I wrote days before. Second of all, I knew my Speech Consultant and (Point!) wanted to impress her.

When a paper or a speech goes straight from my hands to the professor’s, I feel less of an obligation to make sure it really is my best work. For some reason, I put more effort into trying to impress my peers than my professors. This probably has something to do with how competitive Richmond students can be – I feel the need, repeatedly, to justify my place at this school to the people around me.

I think it is this culture of trying to keep pace with, and impress, our peers that a) makes my classmates uncomfortable posting online where anyone can read their work, and b) both helps and hurts the Writing Center process.

It helps because it means that the people who go to the Writing Center often want to take the advice of their consultants to really make their work the best it can be. I think it also hurts, though, because that extra set of eyes on a paper you know isn’t fantastic can be terrifying.

Consultants are not supposed to be judges, but as a student outside of the program, that was not the way I saw it last semester. I know I am less concerned about my professor recognizing that what I am about to turn in is not my best work than I would be about putting something I know to be B.S. in front of another student.

The First Time is Scary

I will admit – I had not used the Writing Center before when I first showed up for my observation last Monday. If our syllabus had not mentioned Weinstein 402, I very well might not have found it in time for my 7 o’clock shift. I had never actually gone through a writing consultation before, so I was not quite sure what I would see. While students were supposed to see their class writing consultant as part of their First Year Seminars, I found that my professor only gave us the time necessary to meet with the consultant for our final papers. By then, most of the class had figured out (the hard way) what he did and did not want from our papers, thus really eliminating the usefulness of the consultant. When I went for my observation, there wasn’t all that much to observe anyway, because the student scheduled to meet with the writing consultant never arrived for the meeting. I did, however, spend some time in the Writing Center and I noticed some things.

First of all, Richmond students – if you are reading this – the Writing Center is not in the library. Nor are the Speech Center or the Computer Help Desk. The first two are on the fourth floor of Weinstein Hall and the third is in the basement of Jepson. Unless it is a Sunday evening and you have a meeting with a writing consultant, the place you want to find is upstairs in Weinstein. I know that a lot of people actually are not aware of this fact, and it is probably the most useful thing you can know.

I think the biggest thing that stood out to me was that the environment of the Writing Center was actually incredibly welcoming. The harsh, fluorescent lights were off and a few lamps were turned on instead. There were couches, comfy chairs, and a table in the middle of the room. There were also some computers along the wall in case someone wanted to check something online or bring up Writer’s Web during a consultation. I actually liked being in the room, which was interesting because I was kind of expecting something cold or threatening like a computer lab.

I think this is really important and relates a lot to the work consultants do. Everything we try to accomplish involves helping people without appearing overly authoritative or intimidating, and I thought it was really interesting how even the layout of the Writing Center helps to foster that attitude. I found myself actually liking being in the room (I didn’t really want to leave, actually), which I think is really important. If the space is welcoming, students will feel less threatened and, hopefully, will have a more positive view of the consultation process. So my first experience with the Writing Center, while not necessarily completely productive, really was a good one.