Portrait of a xenophobic Facebook troll

Courtesy of Joe Flood

By David A Tizzard

When a person attributes all or part of a country's misfortunes to the presence of "foreigners," and if they propose that problems can be solved by expelling said foreigners, we might be told that they are merely expressing an opinion, and moreover, that they have a right to that opinion.

Yet we should consider what we mean by the word, "opinion." Of course, opinions are held on a great many things: music, art, food, movies, shoes, sports, even one's favorite type of fried chicken.

The word, "opinion," suggests that all statements are of equal value; that all are permissible. In addition, by referencing democratic institutions and the right to free speech, some suggest that all statements ought to be allowed to be expressed.

What I seek to explore here is the Facebook troll. This figure is someone whom I'm sure many around the world will know, for it is a global phenomenon. Such behavior is not limited to Facebook, but that's as good a place to start as any other.

First, being a xenophobic Facebook troll can coexist with many other qualities. The troll might, for example, be a good mother or father, like fishing, occasionally give to charity, and enjoy high culture. The Facebook troll might treat their kids well and phone their parents every weekend.

These acts might then cause some people to point to external factors as reasons why the troll holds such "opinions." By showing certain instances of COVID infections in districts of the city, statistics of particular crimes, or historical examples, innocent observers might then excuse the troll for the opinions that they hold. Their xenophobia will not have an internal cause but rather an external and therefore somewhat blameless one.

While I agree that one can have an opinion on a government's policy towards immigration, or on any number of things, I do not call that which is explicitly directed towards a particular group of people ― and which in turn seeks to suppress their rights ― an opinion.

The French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, to whom this piece is indebted, would call such things a "passion." Yet one should not confuse a passion with a personality.

Xenophobic trolling is a passion because it does not seek reason and is not based on research. Rather, the answer has already been found and will be proclaimed loudly. The troll wears what Zizek refers to as "glasses" of ideology.

Consider how xenophobic trolls treat the same act carried out by a "foreigner" and one they perceive as "native:" despite the act being the same, the foreigner's very existence and presence means they have committed a far more despicable act. The attitude is Manichean.

When such trolls do utter such nonsense, they are well aware of how foolish and absurd their positions are. They are not necessarily stupid or blind to that which they are saying.

Yet, the responsibility for correct speech and etiquette will be placed on any who try to engage with them. So beware, those who fight with monsters, that you do not become a monster yourself: social media is very much an abyss that stares back.

Some are afraid to challenge such trolls, due to fear of possible reprisal. Particularly when, as a dutiful citizen, one uses one's own name and identity online so as to create a sense of responsibility, while the troll cowers behind anonymity.

Where can such passions lead and what disastrous outcomes might they have if provoked? Sadly, it is often the case that such indifference, this turning of a blind eye and fear, can be the very things that carry such inflammatory "passion" forward through multiple generations.

Behind all the bitterness they carry and possess, there is a belief that all will be right in the world if only the foreigners were to be expunged. There is no discussion of building a better world, but only purifying that which already exists.

Thus, we cannot expect such a troll to act reasonably or even in their own interests. The principle on which they act is simply destructive: negative.

The sadistic attraction to foreigners that such a xenophobic troll exudes might be considered even a quasi-sexual attraction. To spend all of one's time and energy directed at an object certainly points to a lust and a desire.

As in psychoanalytical theory, perhaps these desires become repressed and the psychological result is for the troll to lash out at foreigners as a defense mechanism: to try and convince themselves and the world that they really don't like them, whereas deep down, they are dangerously attracted to them.

They are afraid, not of foreigners, but of themselves. They are afraid of their own conscience, their own freedom, their own responsibilities, their own people, and their own faults. Ultimately, they are afraid of everything except foreigners.

They are simply cowards who will not admit their cowardice to themselves.

The trolling will not stop without hardship, for the troll avoids their own faults by persuading themselves that their place in the world is god-given, bestowed by tradition, and that only they have the right to occupy it.

All in all, the troll is a bitter coward who will not ― and cannot ― face himself. The troll is everything but a person.

Dr. David A Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies. He is a social/cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. The views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.