To me it's easier and less stressful to just not read posts by people that I don't like. It's rare, but once in a while I'll decide that someone on here isn't worth my time/effort. I just ignore without clicking any buttons or anything. It's a timeshare forum/bulletin board. It's been created to help people and create a community. If a few unhappy people want to use it for something else, just don't pay any attention to them. Eventually they will have to go somewhere else if nobody ever responds to them.
That's kind of where I am. I don't read forums that don't apply to me, or that cause my stress levels to rise. The entire Covid forum is one I tend to avoid. I sometimes get dragged in by a post I see by a Tug friend, but I generally don't reply to anything posted there. I tend to follow the logic of something I read years ago:
"In all the history of calming down, nobody has ever calmed down by being told to calm down."
The Covid forum serves a valid purpose, and gives a voice to those who have strong opinions on all sides of the topic. I know I have my opinion, and that isn't going to be changed by reading argumentative threads telling me how wrong I am to feel as I do. So rather than read that forum, I avoid it. Another way to think of it is "Everybody is entitled to their own stupid opinion."
As to the Ignore feature, I don't know that I've ever used it. I enjoy Tug tremendously. I try to contribute where I can, and I appreciate the posts by nearly everyone here. Those who take obvious delight in stirring the pot, or posting inane replies to things, trying to incite bad feelings, are people whose posts I skim past when reading a thread. I can see what they're up to. I know what they're doing, I am not a fool, and I choose not to pander to their delusional antics. But Ignoring them would disrupt the flow of a given thread, so I find it easier to slide right past what they have posted.
Yes, I probably live in a fragile world of good thoughts and kind treatment of others, but just like an artist who puts paint to canvas: It's my world, and I'll live in it as I see fit.
Ok, I'll get off my existential box for now. I need more coffee. LOL!
Tuggers rock. Some are just more stoned than others.
Dave