After reading through old journals, and keeping an eye on the recent activity in the streets, I would have to say that it is far from dead. I can certainly appreciate this, although I may not be the most observant when it comes to keeping up with everything that happens there. I have, however, noticed more of an overwhelming response to certain individuals over others. Well, perhaps not individuals themselves, but rather types of individuals.

I'm certainly not here to call anyone out on how they choose to spend their time. Instead, I'd like to bring to everyone's attention that putting yourself under the scrutiny of the masses can be daunting for some, especially if they aren't used to being in the public eye. This merits a thought and a question that I would love to get some feedback on.

Now, I am a firm believer that the weight of an individuals word can be measured in how much they have to lose. This being said, the speeches that seem to reach the most of our population and get the most response are sadly written by those with seemingly nothing to lose, having barely stepped foot into these shores, and more often than not, full of anger and spite, aimed at some of the most prominent members of our society.

Now, the question I have to ask, is why we feel it necessary to feed into their toxic behavior and feed the troll under the bridge, so to speak. To be fair, I have seen some exceptional replies from some of the upper structure, although I have also seen some that were far from exceptional, and most likely gave the said troll exactly what they wanted, in front of everyone.

Anyway, I have taken up enough of your time for the moment. I look forward to your feedback.

My ancestors have seen (and have tried) to start discussions that didn't center around the latest drama happening in our time.  Some of them got responses but never like the discussions started by what you call trolls.  I've taken this to mean (perhaps incorrectly) that it isn't discussions that most people really want... but watching conflict or participating in it.  

I suppose that's fine, it's the nature of our life to fight in one way or another, but it might be the answer to your question regarding why the trolls get so much response in the streets and also to the question of 'why there are not more discussions.'  If you know that bringing things up for discussion will either get ignored or cause people to look disfavorably upon you as a result... well, survival is another aspect of what we strive for, right?  I think some people, having seen folks be killed for dumb shit they say in the streets, have learned that it's better to say nothing at all than to roll those dice. 

There is also the fact that some folks just don't feel right about letting lies stand unchallenged.  Whether or not the troll is lying is another topic, but if someone feels that their actions or the actions of their ancestors or family members has been misrepresented - many folks won't stand for that to go unresponded to.  They feel the need to make the truth known and it's a reaction I think is perfectly natural.  It's hard to ignore bullshit streaming out of the mouths of others, especially if the bullshit is getting seen by a lot of eyes.

Also, if said troll is being beaten like a baby seal in the streets (verbally) it takes a lot less courage to jump on the bandwagon and take a swing hoping to look good to your peers.  

So... that's just a few reasons/thoughts.