What techniques do you use to identify the foe

This is pretty easy on a board like this, since we're naturally calling each other out for reactionary thinking all the time via constant struggle sessions, it almost doesn't matter. So the first thing i'll do is try to act in good faith, because honestly some comrades still have reactionary thoughts that just need to be discussed in an open venue. The easiest way to tell if someone is a troll and not just a leftist with reactionary brainworms hard to explain, but basically just based on morality. Do they think any one group of people is 'less than' others? Are they showing signs of entrenched Individualism - thinking their needs should come above others? Are they refusing to budge even after being presented with evidence? Are they being cruel?

What level of engagement do you use?

Depends on my mental spoons for that day. As the One True Leftist that has read theory, i actually find it pretty easy to disarm right wing arguments and question their reactionary thinking to the degree that i often have them concede to some of my points or they'll simply stop responding. I prefer to take the time to disarm their arguments with facts and logic because it gives people reading along the tools to respond to those arguments in the future, even though i know i'm not gonna get through to the person arguing with me.

But sometimes, especially on the reddit where we had a lot more neolib trolling, i DID just call people fucking neolib ghouls or tell them to post hog. But usually in conjunction with also explaining WHY they're being a fucking ghoul like "Oh so the plan to leave 3 million people uninsured is good enough for you? Fuck you, people are going to die because of policies like that, you soulless monster."

MAGA folks are extremely easy to troll and spot and are usually banned on sight tbh. But if we somehow get to them before the mods do, basically just mass downvoting them and bullying them for being cucks for capitalism or bootlickers is enough. They expect us to get 'triggered' by seeing a slur but then immediately freak out when we actually attack them back, it's p funny ngl. There was some right wing brigade on here and they kept doing homophobic slurs like it was some "own". And they would choose the she/her pronoun like it was supposed to hurt us somehow, lol. Hilariously easy.

But yeah overall, it takes constant vigilance on the part of a community to keep the trolls out, and they have to WANT to keep the trolls out, not be those "i want to hear BOTH SIDES" of the story libs, who tacitly let racism/transphobia/etc be allowed because they want it to "be a space for everyone". or those Freeze Peach ghouls that decry any form of moderation even when it's to keep people from being exposed to triggering or harmful content.