Hell's Bells - let's have a reality check here chaps! The Mudcat is a tool at most; a facilitator. If it ceased to exist it would not be the end of the world. Full stop. Deep breath.
We are all of us (I hope) capable of interacting with each other in the real world, and will continue to do so long after the last phospor dot has vanished from the screen.
This is a virtual community, not a real one. Enjoy it for its good points, don't piss on it, but don't let it be a subsitute for reality. To be sure, while accessing the Mudcat I've read things that have made me cry, made me seethe with rage and made me change my view of the world. But we all do that every day in other ways, too - be it by reading a newspaper, listening to the radio or shooting the breeze over a drink.
If Max decides tomorrow to pull the plug, life will go on. Other online communities will spring up, and I'm sure people will one day say of Son-of-son-of Mudcat: "Oh yes, I remember it before all the bitching started..." before breaking off to start another virtual community. It's part of human nature to nurtuer and then to destroy - maybe it shouldn't be, but no-one has yet managed to reprogramme us otherwise.
I've also enountered some terrific people through this "place"; many of whom I wouldn't have met had it not been for the Mudcat, and yes, I'd feel a pang at losing that opportunity; of losing friends I've yet to make. But maybe the best way to look at what we have here is like a holiday romance. In other words, what happens here is slightly divorced from the quotidian slog; there's a slightly magical element about it but it can't go on forever and it sure as hell isn't real life.
So, if anyone really does have Mudcat Dependency Syndrome, please seek help soonest - it's not good for you.