I have an acquaintance who I use to occasionally like hanging out with. He was fun and entertaining but then he got tangled in all sorts of drama that would seem never ending. As far as I'm aware, it didn't start off as his fault but rather he was targeted by some rather psychopathic individuals. He did what most would do and retaliated and put them on blast and did everything he could to prove his innocence and that he was being stalked and harassed.
It was taken to the extreme where he along with his friends and family were harassed. There had even been police involvement on a few occasions. He was literally being stalked and falsely accused of terrible crimes. However there was zero evidence of said crimes as it was all fabricated by the crazed stalkers. This went on for years.
Later on this acquaintance kept bringing up the past drama over and over to the point where he became something of a stalker to his stalkers. This in turn kept the drama circulating. I understand retaliation but when it's to the point where you yourself become a stalker and a harasser, then this is when you are becoming part of the problem.
Many people, myself included gave my acquaintance helpful advice on how better to deal with this and how to move on with his life. He would not listen. He had become obsessed. It could have all stopped if he just left it all alone and moved on. His stalkers admitted they wouldn't leave him alone because he wouldn't stop harassing them. The appropriate measures had already been taken via restraining orders and legal things of that nature but still, he kept beating the dead horse causing more drama for himself and those around him. Thus, he became toxic.
I understand that this all took an enormous mental toll on him but at the same time he is responsible for his own actions and choosing to keep stirring up insane drama was the worst thing he could do in his situation. It would have ended had he let it. The appropriate legal actions were taken yet it wasn't good enough for him. That in cases like this can be a toxic mentality to have. You need to let things like this go when you are no longer being harassed otherwise you will never escape the previous abuse and you are becoming like those who wronged you.
This acquaintance has also been targeting others who have done wrong and exposing them which is good but he drags it on and on in an unnecessary way. He has essentially been psychologically tormenting these individuals which is harassment and is wrong. I understand the importance of exposing bad actors but other than that and reporting to the proper authorities, there's not much else you can do that wont cause further issues.
I had to leave this acquaintance's community because the nonstop drama causes me an immense amount of stress and since he's been inviting those bad actors into his community to further mess with them, I don't want to be around that or such terrible individuals. His community is no longer a safe place and I get anxiety around him very easily which is a damn shame because of how much I use to enjoy his company.
When I or someone else that feels the same tries to be straight forward to my acquaintance letting him know he's now part of the problem he literally just says we are mentally ill for that which is seriously wrong. I wont tolerate someone acting like this, it's honestly just so very wrong and a bit disturbing to see someone you once really liked become very much like their own psychopathic stalkers.
My advice for anyone dealing with things like this is to only take the appropriate action. Report harassment and stalking to your local authorities if it's bad enough. Make your community aware of the situation, block them out in every way possible and move on from it as best as you can. If you need mental help please seek it. Get therapy and work on recovering from such traumas. It will be okay but you need to be willing to accept the advice and help of those that care about you and understand the severity of these types of situations.
Lastly, you need to let it go as best as you can. If you don't allow yourself to move on from situations like this you will slowly become part of the problem like my acquaintance did. Even if you mean well, you need to keep yourself in check mentally. It is important to be mindful of your own actions and mental state. Please, just take care for your own good and for those around you.
