Katie Hopkins does it again

[Regulator]

I’m intolerant of intolerance. Oh, ermmm. Wait.

As a layperson admittedly, it seems to me her behaviour can only be attributed to mental illness. Tolerance of the mentally ill is a mark of civilised society; exploiting it like in a freak show or giving her a platform is not.

it doesn't always have to be mental illness.   We sometimes have a tendency to try and medicalise things to avoid dealing with harsh truths.  The reality is sometimes people are just evil, nasty cnuts with abhorrent views.

[rogerzilla]

Also, money.  Some people get paid for running drugs, shagging strangers or fighting in other people's wars.  She gets paid to be a troll.

[ian]

It's an easy way to grab attention from a credulous audience. I think some of them start out by cynically exploiting that – some might believe it from the get-go – but after a period of constant affirmation from your audience, they really do believe what they're saying and the pathological righteousness of their cause. That said, it increasingly happens on both sides of an ever polarised political spectrum, with either side saying what their audience wants to hear.

[TimC]

Crater Popkins isn't mentally ill. She knows exactly what she's doing, and her aim is notoriety. She's not even that fussed if she gets paid for it, though she'll never say no. She just wants to be the Yang to humanity's Yin. She loves being contrarian, and causing consternation among the lefty world, even when it makes Tories feel uncomfortable. It's what she gets off on, and no amount of logic will change that. She wants, and gets, attention by being what she is, and she loves it. She doesn't need you to agree with her - in fact, she'd rather you didn't. She needs you to get wound up by what she does, because that way you'll engage in her next adventure. The only thing - and the best thing - you can do to counter her is ignore her.