I have to say this, though I can see that it may cause offence. I do hope it doesn't. It ties in with a post of mine in another thread, which basically asserts that this is a community of people, not a board of posted messages. The fact that such a small number of people contributed such a significant portion of the posts may very well be the underlying problem. Not only does this increase the chance of these posters causing offence (albeit inadvertently), mentioning a touchy subject, or making mistakes, it also may be seen as disruptive to the board community and somewhat overpowering, especially by old-timers. Hence, from my scientific mind:

[Hypothesis 1] It may be that the hurters view AWAD as merely a board and find the enjoyment and information gained from reading the messages reduced by the community-believeing hurtees. [/Hypothesis 1]
[Hypothesis 2] It may be that the hurters view AWAD as a community and are annoyed by the purely-message-posting hurtees who they believe have little regard for the traditions and friendships of the board. [/Hypothesis 2]
[Hypothesis 3] A combination of 1 and 2 may be more accurate. [/Hypothesis 3]
[Hypothesis 4] I may be full of s**t. [/Hypothesis 4]

I really don't care which, if any, are true. What I do care about is learning about words and language in a fun and stimulating environment. That's what AWAD was for when I first arrived, and when it stops being that, I shall leave. Please don't let it stop.