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Is it still wrong to spread misinformation even if it's only to troll people rather than harming them?

Last Updated: 19.06.2025 00:06

Is it still wrong to spread misinformation even if it's only to troll people rather than harming them?

The legendary Franklin Veaux often asks questions about “NOFAP”, the belief that not masturbating will turn you into Superman (or something). As he keeps pointing out, the whole thing was a joke that was posted on 4chan or reddit (I forget which).

Now, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion wasn’t so much a troll as fake, but over a century later people still take it seriously even though it contains errors about Judaism that no Jew would make.

Similarly, the whole “sovereign citizen” movement (which we call OPCA up here in Canada) was also a joke where someone used a whole lot of pseudo-legal language (that’s the “P” in OPCA) to say you weren’t subject to any laws you didn’t agree to. Not a month goes by without someone believing in this nonsense.

How do people move on so quickly? I’m still sprung over someone I was dating and he found someone else so fast. I feel hurt because I’m still head over heels over him while he’s out enjoying his life with someone new

Absolutely.