On the contrary, people responding to a troll are just as much a part of the problem as the troll is!
As I indicated in Do Not Feed the Trolls!!!, responding to a troll is feeding it the attention it needs. Ignore the troll, and the fun goes away. Starving a troll is one of the most effective ways to get rid of it.
Updates: Some of you may also find tye's post about the difference between a flamer and a troll enlightening. It's very good and I encourage everyone to read it. Here's an excerpt that seems relevant to the current situation:
And if you are trying to only respond to a troll's reasonable postings [you are] encouraging more trolling behavior [by] giving them one more type of bait to drag around waiting for the next gullible fish.