The Cowardice Behind the “Laugh React”: Why We Need to Stop Feeding the Trolls

There’s a phenomenon haunting our online spaces, one that cuts particularly deep when vulnerability is shared. We’ve all seen it: a serious, often mournful, post about a struggle, a loss, or a heartfelt experience, met with a barrage of “Laugh reacts” or outright ignorant and hurtful comments. It’s a jarring, disheartening display, and it makes you wonder: What possesses someone to act this way?

The answer, I believe, boils down to a potent mix of cowardice and the illusion of anonymity.

The Troll’s Playbook: Hiding Behind the Screen

Think about it. These individuals don’t typically use their real names. They don’t link their actions to their actual identities. Instead, they meticulously craft burner accounts with ridiculous or nondescript names like “silly_anon_47” or “troll_master_007.” Why? Because deep down, they know their opinions are, for lack of a better word, shit.

They understand that their comments are not just controversial, but often baseless, cruel, and devoid of empathy. They wouldn’t dare utter these words in a real-life conversation, looking another human being in the eye. The internet, however, provides a convenient shield. It grants them the perverse pleasure of inflicting a momentary sting without having to own the consequences, the shame, or the reflection that might come from standing by their words.

This isn’t genuine entertainment; it’s an ugly, public display of emotional immaturity. It’s a desperate grab for attention, a craving to feel powerful, all facilitated by the ease of online disengagement. Don’t ever mistake their noise for a valid perspective; it’s merely the sound of someone who knows their views are too toxic for the light of day.

The Critical Lesson: Your Reaction is Their Reward

Now, I can almost hear the trolls reading this, chuckling to themselves, thinking, “Oh, we really got to him. Look, he’s writing about us!”

But let me be unequivocally clear: That is not the case.

I, and by extension, you, should not care what they think or what they post. Their opinions are not tied to real people, real empathy, or real accountability. They are digital phantoms, projections of insecurity and bitterness.

The most important takeaway here is this: Don’t give them two seconds of your precious thought or energy.

• Don’t point out their cruelty.
• Don’t try to explain how they are wrong.
• Don’t engage in a debate.

Why? Because THEY DON’T CARE. Your reasoned arguments, your emotional responses, your attempts to educate or correct them—all of it is exactly what they crave. You wasting your time and giving any of your energy to them is, quite simply, part of their entertainment. Your distress, your anger, your frustration: these are the currencies they seek.

The Only Winning Strategy: Report, Block, and Move On

The only truly effective response is one of absolute non-engagement. You have powerful tools at your disposal:

1. Block them immediately. This cuts off their access to your content and removes them from your feed.
2. Report them. This is crucial. While creating a new burner account might be easy, it’s still a hurdle. If enough people report consistent abusive behavior, platforms do take action, even if it feels slow. The goal isn’t necessarily to get them banned forever, but to make their “hobby” as inconvenient as possible. They will only create another troll account if they continue to get the kind of entertainment they seek.

By refusing to engage, by reporting and blocking, you are not just protecting your peace; you are actively denying them their perverse satisfaction. You are cutting off their oxygen supply. You are reclaiming your space and your energy.

Remember: Their behavior is a reflection of them, not of you or the validity of your feelings. So, let them exist in their pathetic, anonymous corners. We have better things to do with our time and our hearts.

The post The Cowardice Behind the “Laugh React”: Why We Need to Stop Feeding the Trolls first appeared on Tristan Bills.