Bullies suck. I was severely bullied in school for pretty much anything. I wouldn't go as far as saying that school was a traumatic experience for me, but now I find socializing very off-putting. People just have no respect these days, and when they're behind a computer screen, they feel invincible because they can "hide". Kind of like, "what are you going to do about it now, huh?"

It lets the weaklings feel strong. They are too weak to actually say **** to your face in real life, but the computer screen acts as a "protective barrier" for them, which is the only reason they do it.

So yes, bullies are weak people -- very weak, in fact. Perhaps more fragile than the people they bully. They have their own flaws etc. that they're trying to "compensate for." Of course that doesn't make the things they do any less hurtful or traumatizing, but they are thriving off making people feel worse so that they can feel better about themselves. Those people are truly toxic -- yet sometimes I feel bad for them. Like, I feel bad that they feel the need to hurt others just to make themselves feel better. What is it that you are struggling with so much that you feel the need to hurt others? I am willing to help you if you need the help; just ask for it instead of hurting others. So I don't feel bad for them for bullying, but I feel bad that they struggle and that they don't know where to vent that negative energy.

For example, one girl in school used to severely bully me, but I ultimately found out that her mom and dad were undergoing a divorce. That's when it clicked: she was devastated and needed to make people feel worse off than she was so that she could drag everyone down with her. That's not the right thing to do and no one should ever do that, but I can see the compensation. However, if she had gotten the help she needed, perhaps she wouldn't have bullied me or others.

But anyway, not to be mean... I agree with your decision to just leave the group. Let the toxic people stay toxic together. Let them fester in their own cesspool. If they want to change, they will change, whether they're forced to or have an epiphany. But it is no one's (and shouldn't be anyone's) responsibility to make them change. You did the right thing by letting them figure themselves out. I'm glad that you stepped down, not because you should HAVE to do that, but because you're doing the right thing for your mental health.