[swashmebuckle]

Likewise, it's also important for us not to immediately assume that Goober's quelle surprise stuff is a conscious effort to manipulate and discredit.

Given that it is consistent even up to an ungracious acceptance that was offered not only in the name of himself but another who wasn't even a participant in the discussion, and Goober's...somewhat warped view of authority on the forum, I'm not sure immediate is the word for what most people are going to assume about this.

I'm not saying that a conscious effort to manipulate and discredit should be off the table when deciding how to interpret the interaction, just that it could also be consistent with other, less damning explanations. Like, maybe he grew up in an environment where it would be unheard of for one man to admit to another that words had hurt him emotionally, so he came into the conversation preconditioned to be suspicious of that sort of thing and reacted without reflecting. That doesn't excuse posting in that way from a position of authority, but it's a possible explanation that doesn't demand ill will.

[Flipside]

Because everyone else finds it so easy to admit when we are wrong.

This place has changed...

e: And to clarify, there are lots of people here who have said stupid things in the past, myself included, we've all been given a second chance at one point or another, and I know for a fact there are members here who would be screaming blue murder about conspiracies and **** if they had to spend the next few days facing this kind of treatment because of it.

Yes, what he said was stupid and hurtful, and he's been called up on it, and he's apologized, some of you may not by wholly satisfied with the apology, and that's fine too, but this has gone beyond reasonable reaction now and yet still this storm rages. How many times are we going to kick people every time they do something dumb, even if they recognize that what they did was dumb?

[karajorma]

I think it's probably best to lock this thread for now as we're basically dealing with an issues now that should be (and I had believed were) thrashed out by the moderation staff before the new guidelines came into effect. I assure you that this matter is already being discussed amongst the moderators.