Beast, there is virtually nothing I disagree with in your last post.

However, there is still this pesky problem of people overstepping their bounds. That is happening a lot these days, and consistently by the same people. So what is the problem with calling them on it? That is all I'm doing here. Expressing my opinion, and calling the people I think are going well beyond reasonableness in their efforts to impress one another.

Of course I can't control anyone's behavior. I also don't want to play forum cop to the delinquents. I've never been involved with such an immature group of folk musicians and folk music afficionados, so I guess I have nothing to compare this place to. But I do know a lot of folk musicians and folk music afficionados. They are, by most anyone's standards, a witty, warm, engaging, argumentative, and opinionated group of people, overly drawn to things that are old and antiquated. Which is why I'm sure a lot of them congregate in this, rather than the more state of the art folk music boards that don't put up with childish behavior that is so admired here.

Only occassionally does childish pranksterism entertain, and when it's all you have going, it ceases to fun and funny altogether.

It is one thing to co-exist, ignore, and live and let live. If that is what was happening here, no one would have cause to complain, would they?

But it is another thing entirely to CONSTANTLY disrupt and destroy conversations with incredibly bad manners. A lot of members are complaining about this, not just me. So maybe, right now, in the current circumstances, we all need to examine our own behavior and see how we might be contributing to the mess, and god forbid, actually pitch in and help clean it up. Sometimes getting others to do their share requires bitching and nagging. If I am guilty of bitching at and nagging those forum members who are causing the problems, so be it.

Somebody needed to call them on it. Polite and reasonable attempts to get them to stop have been mocked and ignored.

So just why should we all shut up and take it again?