"Perhaps Max would be kind enough to correct the impression given by him to our forum that I have posted 796 PMs of complaints to him."

Max did not state the word PM.

And I have not stated that he did.

However, some posters - have made various assumption from Max's words - varying from that he had received 796 complaints about me or that I had posted 796 PMs of complaints.

All I have requested is that Max corects these assumptions.


Let's make it clear that this is our forum but on Max's site, he can do as he wishes and this is his call.

That has never been in question - but Max will still have to justify, defend and live with this call and the reasons why he feels so pressured at this point - into being seen to do something.

Why is it thought that being seen to ask to leave or banning the posts of one of our forum long-term members and its biggest supporter is going to be seen to fix anything?

Is this move going to result in less or more division on our forum?

Will it spell the end of posters being encouraged to feel that they have some right to publicly judge the worth of and call for this or that poster to be asked to leave or banned?

Or will it further encourage all this. Which along with general pedantry and the minding of everyone else's business - is what many posters appear to now think our forum and The Mudcat Help and Trouble Forum (or snitchers corner) is set up to do?

But I would ask posters to examine the reasons why I am being asked to leave. Seemingly it is because of my many 'complaints'.

My complaint is that our forum along with its double standards, now encourages posters to judge and complain about what their fellow posters choose to post.

But I am seemingly singled-out for special treatment because unlike most eveyone else - I do not post only to judge the worth of my fellow posters but have tried of many years to address the root of what many posters see as a problem.

I wonder what the figure is for all the posts and editing comments that have been complaints about me or encouragment (like this thread) to complain about me?

Are those posters also going to be asked to leave for making their many complaints?

Rather than be ecouraged to complain about their fellow posters and shown that example - if posters were encouraged to concentrate on their own posting - the only posting that anyone has any real control over - and to ignore anything posted that is not to their taste - this problem could easily be solved.

All this IS the problem.

Some posters are rewarded for complaining.

And some have their posting restricted and are asked to leave.

It is seen to depend on who is doing the complaining and who is being complained about.

Will my leaving turn the constantly compaining baying lynch mob into nice calm puppies?

Any sacrifice presented to the baying mob (once encouraged to show their teeth) will only make them worse and ready to bite the next target.   

The problem is all the clamour publicly encouraged against not only me but against any named poster who is publicly targeted by our 'moderators' for special treatment.

Past such witch-hunts have clearly shown that getting rid of the current scape-goat will not solve the problem but only result in setting up another target.

Being seen to publicly make this request to me to leave - rather that be seen to take any steps to address the real problem (i.e. the encouraged baying mob comprised of those who would judge themselves to be the nice people) is seen as a show of strength by an authority being seen to be challenged.

No real authority is being challenged by me (and give me the not-nice people to deal with anytime).

And publicly being seen to be asking me to leave or banning me - when being seen to be promising the self-rightous mob their pound of flesh - would be a show of weakness.

Real authority is not seen to be afaid of adverse comments and not seen to be impressed by brown-nosed insincere compliments.

And a real show of strength at this point would be to be seen to lift the special restrictions currently imposed on my posting.   

But yes it is Max's call. Whatever it is - he will have to live with it.

I have made it clear that I have left before and I returned after a while when I relised this was a mistake - if Max does not wish me to post - he will have to ban me. And to think up some grounds of justification for doing so (if only to try and convince himself).

For unlike some others posters who have - I have done nothing to earn any censure. This will be the message given to our forum.