How to deal with this kind of people?
Some people are seriously messed up. More and more often, I run into people online—I can’t even quite define what they are—who literally give me anxiety. A week ago (and I’m still thinking about it now), I was arguing with a user—I don't even remember why—when, out of nowhere, they started linking to a whole bunch of posts and comments I’d written months or years ago. Obviously, the goal was to make me look bad and discredit me. And all this happened while I had a private profile. What the hell is wrong with some people? I mean, did this person actually go on Google and—using the random profile name Reddit assigned me—search for everything I’ve ever written? Did they read it all (we’re talking hundreds of posts), pick out the worst things—stuff I didn't even remember thinking—and then use them to insert themselves into a discussion that had nothing to do with them? Seriously, someone needs to call for help; these people belong in a padded cell, for Christ's sake. I feel like a victim of online stalking... I mean, I didn't expect to find "normal" people on the internet, but I’ve never encountered this level of unhinged behavior before. It genuinely scared me to think about the sheer amount of effort this person put into attacking me. I wouldn't do something like that even if I were paid.