Peg, I'd take your bet whether this is a kid, but since for me the question is already answered, it would be an unfair bet. It was fun for me to decide, and puzzle why--I got interested by his claim he could identify people from their posts, and started watching his-- but for me the troll is completely solipsized, and I'm not asking, or wondering, but telling. As far as I'm concerned the troll is a young guy, is whichever guest I decide he is, and my decision is final, there is no appeal. The troll could, if he wanted, try to present a more credible persona than the one I've decided on for him, but that's a troll-suicide mission, death to troll.

But what does interest me is how anyone can think Jose is an adult. Or a woman. Why do you think so? I'm amazed by it. In his offline life he's often mistaken for a foreign student, and doesn't know why, and is annoyed by it. (It's your glasses dude, you wear those foreign-student style glasses.) People sometimes overpronounce words to him and say things like How long ? Have you been? In this country? And he says things like About Twenty Years. I Am Beginning, To Learn Your Ways. ( Not really--he wanted to say that but thought of it later.) He's not good face to face with people, as we have seen, he gets rattled easy.

He has a round-faced little brother, who drinks too much Big Red and is fascinated by vacuum cleaners, and his relationship with his brother is one really likeable thing about him. If he wants to tell you about something funny, like something on South Park, get comfortable, it takes a half hour because he can't stop giggling to tell it, and he mumbles things. He's constitutionally unable to tell a funny story at all, in fact, and always has to end it with "it was funny" or "we all laughed" so that you know when it's over.

I don't know why people let themselves get riled about him, but I guess it's because he's pretty good at dictating the terms of troll-engagement, and people wind up taking his comments or "comments" seriously in spite of themselves. I did, on the ladies thread--at first I seriously wondered if I was doing/saying things that offended people, and wanted to hear their point of view, just to be civil and all. But it was just silly. I've tried to contribute a little fun to it, meant no harm.

I actually envy being able to prod people like that, to see how they react, because they'll say interesting and serious things about what they think instead of being comfortable, amiable, and conventional. One follows not to hear Jose's silly remarks (predictably, he has to win, a typical male weakness) but to read the interesting responses, get to know people. I'm a bit of a wus about it, can't do it. If it's not a good thing here, the group doesn't like it, I respect that, I quit the guitar notes forum because it was a little too classroom-like, lot's of thread policing, moderators and a star-ranking system, no kidding, and a bit churchy for me--nothing against it but I'm a fairly screwed-up person and relate easier to other odd people, my tribe. I maybe should look elsewhere, because I've kind of enjoyed this thread. If Jose wanted to be really destructive I can think of ways he could, I'm sure he can, but he hasn't from anything I've seen.