Theory of the Green Hair.

Almost exactly a year ago, I read an article in the New York Times about internet trolls. For the unaware, trolls are anonymous malcontents that populate internet forums, getting their jollies out of creating havoc.

A reporter tries 'infiltrated' their ranks. Although I generally find these bottom feeders to be sociopaths... the logic that one troll used to justify his own misdeeds particularly enlightening.


The reporter described one conversation:

“You have green hair,” he told me. “Did you know that?”

“No,” I said.

“Why not?”

“I look in the mirror. I see my hair is black.”

“That’s uh, interesting. I guess you understand that you have green hair about as well as you understand that you’re a terrible reporter.”

“What do you mean? What did I do?”

“That’s a very interesting reaction,” Fortuny said. “Why didn’t you get so defensive when I said you had green hair?” If I were certain that I wasn’t a terrible reporter, he explained, I would have laughed the suggestion off just as easily.

Enlightening.