I admit I get set off by neediness. Whether its "hey look, I can refresh threads, I can START threads, hey, talk to ME" or "I'm mad at Mudcat, and taking it out on everybody else, and I need some attention, too."
The culture of the place has changed over the years, and not for the better. It's no longer the place where a guy could say his kid with special needs will never ride a bike, and a guy in another country would tell him where to get something that would help. It's no longer the place where someone would have a gathering just for Mudcatters, and invite anyone on the forum.
There will never be a thread like this. (Don't even look for threads titled "american attacks" with the filter set to "all".) For the most part, no one wants to be vulnerable. No one wants to craft and edit their post - it's all rapid-fire chat room stuff, and most of it is arguing about anything. There are those who like to piss in the pool, and the only people left here are those who like swimming in a pool full of piss, and the odd person who can tolerate dipping a toe in.
Helen's right, but
we can't vote, and decide what everyone will do. The only thing each of us can do is contribute to threads we like, and refrain from complaining about threads we don't like. Basically, the idea is "DON'T FEED THE TROLLS", when "troll" means anything that pisses us off.

But it doesn't work at Mudcat.
Why doesn't it?

It's never happened here.

So, this is a comment, not a start to an argument, although yes, it's mostly complaining. There are no fixes, except for myself only. There will never be a consensus, and there is no way to enforce anything. Despite what some have said repeatedly, Mudcat is NOT "a debate forum".
...but I found a small vial of katlaughing's ashes I forgot I had. I'm going on a cruise, and I wonder if she'd like St Croix or Antigua.