Amazon Discussion Forums - Continued

I wrote a blog about the Amazon Discussion Forums last year. A few people know that I have hosted a friendly discussion thread on the UK Amazon site - on the MOA. There has never been any l trouble as we are a small group of friends (there would not be a thread without them) who chat about our homes, gardens, family and anything else that crops up. We rarely if ever discuss politics or religion, after all some things are best kept private. In fact,  the subjects have never actually cropped up. Quite often over the past two years many people have popped in to say hello and exchange a few pleasantries. New friends are always welcome.

Should someone disagree with another poster's point of view on the thread the opposing point has always been put in a polite, non-controversial way. The opposing view is always discussed in an adult, friendly manner. Nothing nasty had ever happened apart from a few weeks ago when someone decided it would be, 'big' to leave a swearword. I don't know who it was aimed at. It was childish to say the least, or maybe the woman who posted it was drunk. I don't know. I chose to ignore something so childish, and Amazon deleted it. I thought then that the thread was heading for trouble.

We were nearing the 10,000 posts when the swearword was left. Amazon stop the posts at this point, and if you want to continue you have to start a new thread. 

I was right. A few days later a regular poster left quite an innocent post and as I am the host I replied.

This was when the trouble started; I was incredulous at the venom directed at me. Not just by a known troublemaker, who trolled the fiction threads, when they were popular, but by someone who posted on the thread regularly, and to all outward appearances called herself a friend.

So, how did I handle it all? Did I go in with guns blazing and tell them exactly what I thought of them? No, I stepped back, thought about it, and ended up feeling sorry for two obviously very insecure, and unhappy people, and have very low self-esteem. This is not to say that I'm not hurt. I am. I made an innocent remark which was jumped on because someone must have been harbouring nasty thoughts about me, and a few of my other friends who were also slighted.

I was going to take a break once I had refloated the thread, but decided not to let the unpleasant people feel that they had won. 
There's an old saying that says we should forgive and forget. Well, I forgive them for the reasons pointed out, but forget? That's another matter, I prefer not to speak to these people ever again, and hope that they disappear into the ether.
The one person says she is a GP, now it's not up to me to disbelieve her, but would a semi-retired GP, actually come onto Amazon Forums and act like a spoiled child? If she is a GP, then she has brought her profession and herself into disrepute, but more than that she has come across as spiteful and undignified. Strangely, enough she seems to know the other post (my so called friend) very well. She mentioned things about her finances etc which up until the friend mentioned she was on benefits no-one really knew about on the thread. Very strange indeed. I have a number of friends who are in General Practice, also Consultants and Professors, and I know their wives and families. They have always treated me with respect and would never think of going on a public forum and insulting posters. They have far too much respect and dignity for their fellow human beings. 

Of course, this just goes to show the type of person who reads the threads without ever dropping in to say a pleasant hello. They wait until such time as they think they can cause trouble and say evil things about someone. I pity them.