Bait

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Unfortuately, many anons are not smart enough to see the hook.

There are many types of posts on /tg/ and beyond. There are generals, genuine questions, miniature showcases...

And then there is bait.

Bait is a post meant to provoke a heated response from the reader, much like how bait on a fishing hook is intended to encourage a fish to bite (hence the name). It is often a form of trolling, with the poster's goal being to gain replies, provoke an argument, or both. On the off chance that it isn't, the objective might be something more sinister like influencing public opinion via inciting moral outrage (a common tactic of both the left and right extremes on each side of the fence) or similar.

One that posts bait is often called a fisherman or baiter, and the act of posting bait is either called baiting or 'going fishing'.

While all bait is meant to rouse the viewer or create skub, not everything that starts an argument or causes anger is bait. The intent of a post is what determines bait, and that intent is often not obvious. Not everyone posting something you vehemently disagree with is doing it to piss you off.

How to spot bait

The most obvious of bait posts have a condescending, confrontational, or outraged tone meant to provoke an emotional response. This will often continue in replies, where the poster will not budge an inch on the topic if an argument breaks out (in order to keep the flamewar going or for some other reason). Other bait is more subtle in its anger-indicting, though someone who knows how to read between the lines might find that someone's casting a line, so to speak.

Care should be taken to differentiate bait from genuine questions and discussion, since even something truly innocuous can generate skub. As mentioned previously, intent is what separates the baiter from the regular anon that said something at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Common bait topics

While this list is by no means exhaustive, these are the most common bait posts one can see on /tg/:

• Female Space Marines - bound to pop up whenever changes to the 40k franchise are made, as to invoke the slippery slope fallacy.
  • On that note, any post suggesting a recent change will lead to a major controversial change or addition down the line.
• "How 'wokeness/political correctness/etc.' is ruining X" posts
• "X is 'going woke/(insert politically correct change)' and leaving 'you (racists/misogynists/etc.)' behind" posts
  • It's hard to tell if these posts specifically are /pol/ deceiving anons into moving closer to their beliefs, actual SJWs trying to get a rise out of /tg/, or just trolls wanting easy replies.
  • Many of these involve Female Space Marines as well, just for that extra pinch of rage.
• Threads or posts glorifying something disliked by the majority of fa/tg/uys - bonus points if it's disliked for good reason.
• Matt Ward posts (they've been done to death and are now only posted for the sake of Skub)
• Threads or posts so off-topic that they must be deliberately so
  • Examples: Posting a 'Stat me' for a random image in a 40k discussion, posting a thread about /a/'s seasonal waifu (though this can be accepted if the anime and/or its source material is relevant to /tg/, case-by-case basis applies)
• Pro/Anti-Tau Empire threads (also have been done to death)

How to avoid bait

Simply put, the best response to bait is the same as dealing with other forms of trolling: Don't reply. Arguing or responding with anger (or in other words, "getting hooked/baited") is the goal of the post, so not engaging with it denies the poster the satisfaction of the bait doing its job.

If you must reply, simply let your fellow fa/tg/uys know that a post is bait and move on. Often, this is done using some variation of the "This is bait" image macro (the original of which can be seen above). Such a post both denies the poster with the wanted response and lets other anons know not to provide said response. However, doing so with hostility defeats the purpose of this by still giving the poster what they wanted in the first place, so while pointing out bait take care that you are not hooked yourself.