".....which he uses to simply avoid addressing the essence of the issue."
At least you got to the essence of the issue even if it took you a whole paragraph.
This thread is the single best example of a whole fanbase avoiding the essence of the issue, erroneously believing if they hide their head in the sand long enough, the issue will just go away.
The whole nation was witness to the fact you can't hide forever.
It's time to man up.
troll
1a. Noun
One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a
newsgroup or
message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.
1b. Noun
A person who, on a message forum of some type, attacks and
flames other members of the forum for any of a number of reasons such as rank, previous disagreements, sex, status, ect.
A troll usually flames threads without staying on topic, unlike a "Flamer" who flames a thread because he/she disagrees with the content of the thread.
1c. Noun
A member of an internet forum who continually harangues and harasses others. Someone with nothing worthwhile to add to a certain conversation, but rather continually
threadjacks or changes the subject, as well as thinks every member of the forum is talking about them and only them. Trolls often go by multiple names to circumvent getting banned.
2a. Noun
Sometimes compared to the Japanese ‘Oni’, a troll is a supernatural creature of Scandinavian folklore, whose race was thought to have carried massive stones into the countryside (although actually the result of glaciers). Lives in hills, mountains, caves, or under bridges. They are stupid, large, brutish, hairy, long-nosed, and bug-eyed, and may also have multiple heads or horns. Trolls love to eat people, especially small children.
The Females of the species are generally kinder and more intelligent, but still fairly hideous.
2b. Noun
An aesthetically repulsive person, often has terrible social skills, usually a woman. See
Troglodyte.
2c. Noun
An old, unattractive gay man who hits on young men, and cannot seem to understand that they want nothing to do with him.
3a. Verb
To fish by dragging bait behind a moving motor-boat.
3b. Verb
To cruise for immediate sexual pleasure without commitment. Often characterized by an older man, seeking a younger man, or any man for immediate, often anonymous sexual contact.
4. Noun
A joke disguised as an outrageously stupid statement or question, intended to trap people into believing it is serious.