Disclaimer: Nothing I say in this post is new or theoretically novel. The story to which I’ll refer already peaked over the weekend, and what I have to say about it–that trolling is sometimes productive– is a point well made by many others (like on this blog last month by Nathan Jurgenson). But seriously, can we all please just take a moment and bask in appreciation of trolling at its best?

For those who missed it, Target recently announced that they would do away with gender designations for kids toys and bedding. The retailer’s move toward gender neutrality, unsurprisingly, drew ire from bigoted jerks who apparently fear that mixing dolls with trucks will hasten the unraveling of American society (if David Banks can give himself one more calls it as I sees it moment, I can too).

Sensing “comedy gold” Mike Melgaard went to Target’s Facebook page. He quickly created a fake Facebook account under the name “Ask ForHelp” with a red bullseye as the profile picture. Using this account to pose as the voice of Target’s customer service, he then proceeded to respond with sarcastic mockery to customer complaints. And hit gold, Mike did!! For 16 hilarious hours transphobic commenters provided a rich well of comedic fodder. Ultimately, Facebook stopped the fun by removing Melgaard’s Ask ForHelp account. Although Target never officially endorsed Melgaard, they made their support clear in this Facebook post on Thursday evening: 

While you enjoy a short selection of my personal favorite Ask ForHelp moments, keep in mind a larger point: trolling can be a good thing, and trolls can do important work. The act of trolling refers to intentionally disrupting discourse. Often, this is destructive and shuts dialogue down. Sometimes, though, trolling is productive and brings a dialogue to new depths, heights, and/or in new directions. Melgaard’s Ask ForHelp account is a beautiful example of trolling gone wonderfully right. The troll managed to co-opt a corporate site (Facebook) for purposes of co-opting a corporate identity (Target) for purposes of discrediting those who espouse hate and endorse exclusionary policies/practices. And he was funny about it. THIS is how you troll.

Jenny is in Twitter @Jenny_L_Davis