mk thenewgreen cgod - I think you'll enjoy this even more. If enjoy is the right word.
- To their creators, memes featuring real people aren't personal
This is the most accurate analysis of 'the dark side of memes' that you'll ever read. These image macros have nothing to do with their photographic subjects. In almost every other case, the person pictured has been dramatically different than their macro character. The ditsy girl is actually very smart. The lazy freshman is actually hard working. To become defensive and infuriated at finding yourself the subject of an image macro just proves your unfamiliarity with internet culture. Announcing your ignorance to the world will certainly attract personal scorn like nothing else.
Fighting back against trolls is a complicated thing for a moderator. Trolls want to disrupt, and in many ways the fight against them accomplishes their goal. I wouldn't say that it's only apathy that makes moderators reticent to engage. Sometimes it is just an unwillingness to throw fuel on the fire. Personally speaking, if there are serious trolling issues, rather than aggressively engaging in specific incidents, I'd be looking for more global solutions to the problem. I'd hate to spent energy fighting symptoms when the disease might be treated.