A few days ago I posted a blog regarding people being bullied and targeted by a group of Barry Manilow fans. I've moved the blog post to an undisclosed location. The interesting part came in the form of the responses to the blog.
There were some people who responded to me privately, indicating they had also been victims of some of the fans in this group. Not all of them, but some.
There were responses from people indicating they were sorry that I, and perhaps others, had been treated poorly by some of Barry's fans. Some were former friends from the site, although I was still left wondering why these friends had not reached out to me when my account suddenly disappeared.
Then there were the people who were irate, and demanding that I do as they say.
This is what cyberbullying looks like. It's relentless, and very, very nasty. It's bad when I try to teach my kids at school about this and some of the "bullies" continue to taunt those they think won't fight back. Well, at least I have some examples of what grownups are capable of to show the kids.
Has this changed my attitude towards these people? No. At this point, however, I'm moving on, and have no desire to be a part of what they view as a "love fest" for Barry.
For anyone considering joining the Barry Manilow International Fan Club, my advice to you is to just enjoy his music on your own, as I stated in the post, the people you would want to be friends with and share in Barry's music are, for the most part, no longer part of the MMN.
