Originally Posted by Abby10

I'm going to give this a try, Tal. I hope it will help. You used the example of someone being beaten up in the street. The thing is, usually when that happens, once they get away, they don't return to be beaten up again. Now that might not seem fair because no one deserves that kind of treatment with no recourse, but what I'm saying is the decision lies in your hands. Sinking to their level will be destructive only to you.These guys are not going to stop and you must put yourself first and protect yourself. If the nastiness and negativity that is being thrown at you is too much to bear, so much so that it may be affecting your physical and mental health, then you must make the decision to remove yourself from it. I know it's not fair - you shouldn't have to do that - but really, not much in life is fair, and sometimes you have to be the bigger person and say, enough is enough. I know this has to be wearing on you and keeping you from doing more productive things. You deserve better than that. This is not hurting them - only you - and you have control over that. Leaving the forum is not admitting defeat, it's putting yourself first and ultimately being the better man.