Without re-opening old arguments, I´d like to make a couple of comments after reading through this intensely-debated thread:-
First, I´d like to voice my support for the mods, who continue to do a difficult, largely thankless job. On this occasion I think Freebase, Urban, Janzsoon and Burning Down have done a great job in coping with, refuting and considering some of sopsych´s allegations. All proponents of free speech, they have to make judgement calls about the difficult-to-define line where some kind of control is necessary for the good of the community. When they do so, I don´t think it´s fair that they should be subjected to a kind of grilling more appropriate for a war criminal at the International Court of Human Rights. This place is, after all, just a music forum.
Next, I´d like to thank GuitarBizarre who had the patience and courage to spell out, with uncanny accuracy, my own dis-satisfactions with Hermione and sopsych as forum members. Credit also goes to Trollheart for rightly defending his patch of turf: the journals.
I have great respect for tore and count him as one of my friends on MB, although some of his ethical points in this thread were a bit over my head. BTW, anyone who thinks tore defended sopsych because sopsych thinks tore is God is doing tore a great injustice, imo. On a happier note, or perhaps a reminder of happier times, I´d like to mention again just one of tore´s many popular contributions to MB :-
http://www.musicbanter.com/announcem...-calendar.html
I always thought this was a fun way to focus attention on our various music forums, and it drew in newcomers and old-timers alike; isn´t there any one who´d care to pick it up again?
Finally, I don´t think, as a community we need to agonize overmuch if not many new members stick around. In fact MB does many good things and it does them well - if those things don´t appeal to everyone who logs in, it may be due to external/personal factors outside the control of MB members.