How do you know if someone's pulling your leg?

What I do (and it is just me) is to try to determine how plausible or relevant the question is to life or a life situation. Some questions might be an analogy to a given problem and the OP uses it as to not air dirty laundry, theirs or others, in open forum. If their responses to their own post seems more quip or joking and not truly serious in any attempt to gain any clarity I would suppose that would be closest to a question that is pulling one’s leg. There is no other way to say it, so I will, too few questions seem to be on a serious nature, I don’t take more than maybe 8–12% to actually be ”question” questions, so if they are not serious hardly comes to thought.

I remember being pulled my leg by a spammer. They asked for some kind of help. The request seemed legitimate and I tried my best to help them. They said they were so grateful then asked me if some kind of website they found on the net was helpful. I took me some time before I realized I had been conned.

If it helps, my posts are always pulling something.

Unfortunately, I tend to believe anyone with under 30 Lurves may be pulling the collective’s leg if they have a strange, over detailed question. I can only remember one time where that new Jelly turned out to be a legitimate new swimmer.

Sometimes with relationship questions, they write some crazy shit and it’s hard to believe that some people can be that f’ed up or desperate that they put up with this crap.

A fairly stupid question, and the jelly has less than 10 lurve, I think is usually a person who just get their kicks watching us answer nonsense. Usually some sort of relationship question.

If someone repeatedly asks inane relationship questions I suspect them of being a troll. Or people who ask a question and then keep making excuse after excuse for not taking any advice and their problem gets more and more convoluted. In the end I will put them down as either an idiot or a troll. Neither of which I want to engage with.

This recent one makes me wonder, because it’s so insane:

http://www.fluther.com/181869/why-would-a-man-verbally-abuse-his-partner-when-he-is/#quip3118879

@jca, yes.

I feel like on the internet, it’s hard to tell. Any one of us could be something other than what we represent ourselves as. If you’ve ever seen the documentary “Catfish” there’s a good example. This overweight middle aged, mumu wearing woman living in a crappy house represented herself, online and on the phone, to this young guy as a young sexy thing. When he went to her house to meet her, he found out the truth about her and her lifestyle. That could really be anybody.

It really is hard to tell. But I usually feel that if someone keeps asking variations of the same question, they either refuse to take advice or they are pulling my leg. If I notice this, and I have given advice, I stop reading the person’s questions. Either way, they don’t really want advice.

For the record I actually belive that I am Astral traveling into the past and future. Apperently my psychiatrist doesn’t believe me and has me on some mild anti-psychotic pills and I am on disability until I give it up and go to work. I think a good job for me is writer or comedian. I flipped my share of burgers and washed enough toilets for a lifetime. I don’t want to have to pay my dues all over again.

Who cares?

I mean, really?

@nutallergy I’m guessing that a few people care, at least here on Fluther. We try to do our best to give real and helpful advice to people who need it. It’s kind of a drag to find out that someone was actually a troll. Why? Because it was a waste of time trying to help someone who wasn’t really in need of help.

The better question might be to ask, why do the trolls do it?

If I’m just sitting there and some dude comes up to me, grabs my leg and starts pulling and dragging me around, I’ll probably know.

I usually look down about the time walking becomes difficult and pretty much figure it out from there. The last time it was a drunken woman. I was dragging her across her front lawn trying to get to my car at four in the morning. It was a long time ago.

Woman: “Don’t leave me! Puhleeeez don’t leave me!!”
Me: “You’re pulling my leg, right?”

You see, I knew it right away. Who said men are stupid?

@Espiritus_Corvus I wasn’t drunk, you animal.

I hate the trolls that are slowly revealed. Sometimes a question looks legit initially, but as the OP provides more details, they get more and more out of touch with reality. My least favorite ones turn into some sort of fantasy Letters to Penthouse style.

Finally, I just have to admit that I’ve been duped by a troll.