Knitting Paradise is a forum I joined earlier this year. I'd had no conflict with anyone until recently. In the past week I have had two individuals jump down my throat over perfectly innocent statements.
This one, a few days earlier, began with a lady who commented that a lot of people had been asking for a pattern. Another Knitting Paradise member referred to the begging for patterns “a granny feeding frenzy”. As the lady didn’t post a link to a free pattern I assumed it was a copyrighted pattern and thought I could just politely let all the “grannies” know they were asking the lady to break the law.

Aud36 wrote:
Thank you ladies for the wonderful postings regarding the coat I knitted with the Eskimo trim.
I have had lots of requests from folk to send them the pattern I would love to but the postage would cost me an arm and a leg.
I would love to send everyone who has asked a copy but my funds are limited. Hope you understand.... Audrey
Aud36

I wrote:
Just to let you know, it's against the law to share copyrighted patterns.

Aud36 sarcastically replied with:
I bow to your superior knowledge Mam.
I don't remember saying that I would copy the pattern just that I would have like to send every one a copy . Would have bought the pattern for everyone who couldn't get one if I could have afforded it. Just goes to show how things are taken the wrong way. Thought I was helping. Never mind aye.

I apologized to her.

Then some Mrs Buttinsky sticks her nose in with:
I'm pretty sure that we all know that. Aud36 did not say anything about copying her pattern for anyone. She simply stated that since she couldn't afford to buy everyone their own copy, she let us know where we could find it on our own.
Mainiac

I countered with:
Actually there are a great number of people who don't know that and if they do then they flagrantly disregard it. My statement was not necessarily directed at Audrey. It was my hope to inform people who don't know about copyrighted patterns. Audrey didn't say she couldn't afford to buy the pattern for everyone in her first message. She said she couldn't afford the postage to send everyone a pattern. How was I to know she wasn't going to photocopy her pattern for everyone? I don't understand what I said that was so offensive. I didn't accuse her of anything. I didn't call her nasty names and I didn't swear. Could you please explain to me what I did wrong?

Another buttinsky said:
Nittineedles, Nothing. Sorry, Aud36 is way off base again. Her first post sounds like she was going to make copies and send them to everyone.

Then Aud36 took her dollies and went home:
It seems that I have upset a few people. That was the last thing on my mind. I'm truly sorry if that is what I did. Won't do it again. If "off base" means I've been run out just two words to say Bye all.
Aud36

This one occurred yesterday.
Joy Marshall wrote:
A group of us used to sit and knit outside a yarn store at our summer street market for demonstration. One woman brought a spinning wheel and the majority of those who stopped to watch her were men.

The comment above reminded me of spinning at the craft market, last Summer, and how the men were so fascinated and were far more likely to ask questions than the women. So I said,
“Guy's love machines.”

This was the next comment to appear:
I know you mean well, but it is just such sexist remarks that set my teeth on edge!
Other than reproductively, there's not that much difference between guys and gals. Both can and do knit, crochet, cook, play with machinery, study, learn, embroider, raise the next generation, pay taxes, teach, etc.
I resent a remark such as "Guys love machines"! A young female may see or hear such a thoughtless remark and - unwittingly and unconsciously - take it to mean that she should NOT have a love of machines. A young male might take it to mean that he should NOT have a love of non-machine stuff ... like handknitting, etc.
It is through such unintentional remarks that the young learn, moreso than from what they are directly taught.
Jessica-Jean - Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

What do you say to something like that? “Lady, take a chill pill.” “When’s your next psychiatric appointment?” I was tempted to say, “I just noticed Jessica-Jean’s signature line. (Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.) That was my dear departed MIL’s motto. She was an obnoxious, rude woman too.” Her’s was the last comment out of 27 in the thread. I think everyone else is waiting to see how I respond. They’ll have a long wait. I’m not wasting my time on any more nut jobs.

What is it with some people? Is it the stress of the upcoming holidays that turns “normal” individuals into fruit loops? Is it the anonymity of the internet that makes them think they can say whatever they want to other people? Maybe they just weren’t very rational in the first place.