rinue | Further Adventures in Trollery

I just ran into a new right wing troll strategy.

Troll: [says something provocative that is not sourced]

Romie: I suspect you heard that from [this person], who as far as anyone can tell made it up and then repeated it in a number of publications and public speaking engagements (which were then aired because they were provocative). Here is an article on what actually happened from a magazine whose journalism I know you respect, which has strong libertarian politics and which would love to publish the thing you said but who discovered through their research it was not true.

Troll: I subscribe to that magazine, so I'm not going to read the article. I'm sure it says [Same provacative unsourced thing, no attribution beyond "I don't recognize the name of the person I am directly quoting" (who is clearly the person Romie mentioned).]

This is great. I no longer have to read anything. As long as I own it - and I consider myself to own the Internet - I can assume it affirms whatever I want to be true. And even if it doesn't, you see, I own it. I now have a medical degree because I own several immunology textbooks. I have not read them - I've barely looked at the pictures and I mostly keep the books around to use as props - but please come to me for all your medical advice henceforth.