Political Pyromaniac

A person who gets a thrill out of setting people up against each other, especially in online bulletin boards and often regarding people and issues in their locality. The Political Pyromaniac may take a posting or email message and forward or copy it to another person, knowing that it will cause a virulent reaction. The PP essentially likes to set fires and stand back and watch the ensuing fireworks or explosion. They are also the peeping Toms of the Internet and closet drama kings and queens.

Charles, a known Political Pyromaniac, received a group email post. Tina said a website owned by a man named Jim was "an amusing little supposedly non-political site." Charles forwarded the message to Jim. Jim then sent an anti-Tina email to everyone on the group and copied it to her bosses, trying to get her fired. He pointed out that Tina's husband was "a city police officer," which was not relevant to anyone receiving the message. The recipients didn't really know Jim or why he was so upset or what he was getting at. They responded in Tina's defense. Charles sat back and watched the action and then quietly unsubscribed from the email group.