Very good point! There seems to be a continuum between pure trollishness (where supposedly all you care about is to stir up a strong reaction) and pure politeness (when it is used as a defense against strident disagreement and debunking). So tolerance for mildly trollish debate (as in ‘radical honesty’ perhaps) may be the best defense against this kind of passive-aggressive niceness.
Very good point! There seems to be a continuum between pure trollishness (where supposedly all you care about is to stir up a strong reaction) and pure politeness (when it is used as a defense against strident disagreement and debunking). So tolerance for mildly trollish debate (as in ‘radical honesty’ perhaps) may be the best defense against this kind of passive-aggressive niceness.