To be fair, the "BS" prefix was established so that people could indicate that a thread was not about music.  To require people to use a special prefix to show that a thread is about music would tend rather to prove the contention that the Mudcat is becoming an ordinary chatroom rather than a place to discuss music.  I can't believe that only "serious scholars", whatever that might mean, want to talk about music, and see no reason to change an established set of labelling conventions which would probably work quite well if people bothered to use them.

After a couple of years here (if I include the initial "lurking" period which used to be considered an appropriate preliminary so that one might get a reasonable idea of the way things were done in a place before intervening in it) I have certainly noticed that a lot of threads nowadays are started by bored people who have nothing much to say or contribute, but who nevertheless insist upon doing it, often at great length.  They also often insist on adding to threads such as this one, in spite of the fact that they have very little idea of what is involved, or of who they are talking about.  Please note that this is a general observation, and should not be taken as a personal comment on anyone in particular.  Most of the posts in this case seem to be intelligent and well-considered.  As in most things, it's a question of balance.  There is room for everybody, but only if certain accommodations are at least tacitly agreed, and acted upon.

I count myself as one of those who will miss Bruce's presence here, and regrets his departure; I hope that he will eventually feel able to come back.  It is worth mentioning that a number of people have felt it necessary, over the last couple of years, to announce their departure in this fashion; very few of them have contributed even a fraction of what Bruce has.  Many of them have come back, sometimes on the same day.  It is in no way unusual.

As to the "Guest #1" business, I can only say that I paid little attention to it, and so do not have much idea what was going on.  I can't imagine that it could possibly have begun to measure up to the kind of nastiness that has occurred here in the past.  Maybe it was a deciding factor for some people, maybe not.  Bruce is about the same age as my father; if you can't be a bit impatient with younger people who think they know it all once in a while when you get into your 70s, when the hell can you?

Perhaps the rest of us, me included, would do well to be a little less self-important and judgemental than we sometimes are.  We are all dispensible.  Very few of us, though, will ever contribute as much to the sum of knowledge available here -and elsewhere- as Bruce has done.  I hope that everybody will remember that.

Malcolm