"Lulz" is the corruption of Lol, which stands for laughing out loud.
Ever do something incredibly stupid and find yourself with no reasonable excuse to explain your behavior? You did it for the lulz.
Doing something for the sheer amusement factor isn't completely doing it for the lulz. There's a certain cruelty associated with the word, though it's unclear to me whether that's a result of the word coming from so many troll's mouths.
The use of the word 'lulz' often assumes that it's the primary reason behind any questionable act. If you ever find yourself talking to a troll who's invoked Godwin's Law (see a previous post) about why the Holocaust occurred, the expected answer would be, "Hitler did it for teh [sic] lulz." Nevermind the post-war stress he harbored after his years in the trenches. Nevermind the overall Anti-Semetic notion running rampant in Germany during those years. Nevermind all that, Hitler did it because he could and he'd get some enjoyment out of it.
Lulz fuel a troll's desire and ability to troll. The amount of lulz garnered from a victim in any given situation is proportional to their reaction to the troll. Beware though, as a troll can keep trying to "milk the lolcow" until they get some lulz out of it. They take a lot of leeway in interpreting how the victim is reacting to them, thus generating lulz on their behalf and continuing the assault.
Eventually lulz dissipates and the troll loses interest. However, nothing upsets a troll more than taking away their lulz - it's probably the only chink in a troll's armor. Understanding how to take the lulz out of a troll's routine is a key factor in stopping them. If I had any suggestions to take away lulz, I'll get back to you.
Happy surfing people.
Your posts never cease to lighten the mood with the exception of the post about the parent that went too far. The whit and sarcasm are always a good read for me. Not to mention your writing is very easy to read and interesting. I think you have pretty much nailed trolling on the head with this entire blog. You have also enlightened my on how far trolls are willing to go to satisfy their trolling desires. Happy anti-trolling!
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