A clear case of misunderstanding based on the language barrier as well as the difficulty of getting humour across in a forum post.
I think emoticons (smilies) are over used to the extent that they are now mostly ignored.
The smiley in the original post should have indicated humour but with people abusing these symbols by posting them left right and centre, it may have made it difficult to distinguish the humorous remark from a serious one.
That is one of the reasons the thread started deteriorating.
It is also clear that a few individuals have a fervent enthusiasm and their online persona becomes well known for such qualities. It is helpful to just accept their character than to continually challenge it.
On the other hand It is a good idea to first question a persons meaning before lashing out and claiming that the post is a troll attempt. Especially when you are not sure because of linguistic shortcomings.
I have seen many clashes caused by such type of situations and all of them could have been avoided if there was a pause to think before replying.
There is no shame in asking someone if they are being sarcastic or serious etc. etc if you are not sure.
Also if you are going to reply then do so to what a person has posted rather than what "you think" that person is capable of posting.
All in all people should try not to over react. Even if someone does genuinely troll then why reply. Surely the best thing to do when "you think" someone is trolling is to ignore them.
My ramblings may sound boring but someone has to say this stuff ;-)
[Edited for clarification of meaning]
