davem was not the only one at fault in that Bible thread and I thank Fea for being honest enough to admit that all sides were involved in the game of winding one another up. davem was unfortunately the most visible of the parties involved, and others involved flew under the radar by various crafty and sneaky means. What happened to him was like a teacher faced with a class of disruptive kids simply choosing to pick on the one with the loudest voice instead of dealing with everyone. The easy way out. Of course, you
couldn't possibly punish the angelic little girl in the corner who is
always so sweet - depsite the fact that she's just spat on the boy next to her and provoked him into doing it back...
SpM - holes are being dug simply because the evidence for banning davem is poor, circumstantial at best. I'm sure you know all about dodgy evidence?
The statements you refer to as being snidey asides were read in the light of a moderating team that had just got over an argument with davem - a mod team that had wounded pride due to the dispute, lets admit it. More on pride again later.
But in that dispute, you, the mod team,
had won! You had
beaten davem. He had retreated and had forgotten all about the dispute, and gone on to new thoughts. If you did find his asides offensive - and lets face it they weren't offensive to
anyone but
the mod team, were they?! Hmm?! - then you should have told him so and he'd have cut them out. As for if his use of analogy in his post in the Racism thread - did you not notice that he also used environmentalists in that analogy? I am one, and it didn't even register until it was brought up as 'evidence'; picking this out was an entirely personal, reactive selection.
The 'evidence' given was nothing of the sort. It was nothing to offend anyone. Only the mod team, in the light of davem's temerity of actually daring to question you would find this kind of 'evidence' anything of the sort. I suspect you were getting more than a bit paranoid that he was trying to get at you? News. He was not.
So he was not banned for his tone in the Bible thread, he was banned for arguing his case with the mods.
Male pride yet again. I note that the mod team is predominantly male. One stubborn man arguing with another load of stubborn men. You wouldn't get good odds if you wanted to place a bet on the outcome. It's time for you ALL to drop your egos and pride and shake hands and return to how it was before that stupid spat on the Bible thread caused all of this to blow up. And because if it carries on like this then the Downs will be harmed.
I don't want that. The mods don't want that. B-W don't want that. davem don't want that.
And I have to ask, this being a Tolkien forum and all, what has anyone actually
learned from
Tolkien? Isn't one of the biggest lessons in the book
Forgiveness?
What, exactly, is the Downs
gaining from davem's ban?
What does it stand to gain from
Forgiving him?
And if you simply
cannot get over your
precious pride and consider this then I feel quite sure poor old Professor Tolkien will be rolling in his grave.
EDIT: X-posted with Mr Hookbill, great minds think alike, you see!
Yes, the inevitable thing that will happen if this carries on will be division, and a bad name for the Downs, it only stands to get much more sour. Why? Because the evidence as I said was based on 'value judgements'. If davem had been effin' and jeffin' it would have been clear cut, but it's not. So it can only get worse for the Downs. Even when/if the dust has settled it will remain spoiled (soiled?).
What has been forgotten is FORGIVENESS for davem, a guy many of us think is a huge loss to the Downs.