This is an excellent insiders view of one aspect of what happens within the forum from Staff/Moderator perspective. It is particularly poignant because I (and I would state probably most of us) have have never read something like this before.

Having to read through vile comments, to delete post or having to ask members to refrain from posting about various subjects (and/or sending a warning to them for persistent behaviour) cannot be easy for the average person to deal with on a near daily basis. Carnage as you described it, seems apt.

Slightly away from the essence of why you created this thread, what is the staff being paid to moderate the forum and does pay vary?