Fragile males, the tribes of trolls, and their cult of rudeness

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I was recently having a discussion the other day about sexism and bullying in a certain area of online life. And while that particular example was disconcerting, it is mirrored by the sexism (and racism, and homophobia) in other parts of cyberspace, which in turn reflects a larger societal pattern. While many see such abuses as a crisis, for those who live with it day and and day out it can start to seem like business as usual. There are some who will say that such folks are "jerks" or "morons" who don't matter, that their words and actions are irrelevant. I disagree.

Let's differentiate here between different types of trolls. Some just want to wind other people up for their own amusement, or believe that they are being clever. Some simply think they are being funny. Because they are isolated from immediate and personal face to face contact, they may not appreciate the impact of their comments on others. They are clueless but that doesn't mean that they don't hurt or offend. And in such cluelessness, they may decide to idolize or imitate others who are far more intentionally cruel and spiteful.

There is a subculture or side-culture in many online and offline communities which prizes being anti-social and rude. Then there is the "macho" club which tends to be heavily sexist, at times bordering on misogynistic, as well as homophobic. These two groups aren't identical, but neither are anywhere close to mutually exclusive.  For example, certain tribes of trolls may not be dedicated to insulting only women but their language is extremely sexist, and it mirrors the false machismo of undesirable social trends of the bullying boys clubs.

Some of the more obnoxious trolls may be children or immature adults who are going to act mean and idiotic to anyone they come across online, probably from a lack of social skills mixed with deep insecurity and a lack of social accountability, but they are using terms and imagery that already exist in misogynistic circles. They are mimicking the psychology and employing the verbal weaponry of bullies. Whether they really are intimated by or hateful towards women specifically, or whether instead they are just aping bad behavior in a failed attempt to pursue some kind of coolness through online notoriety, they are still perpetuating the anti-woman stereotypes and abusive terminology.