to remove a cancer, one must divide.

yeah, it is. surely they have enough idea of the nature of the problem, the parties involved, and the choices available to them by now.

define devisive, please. Because it seems to me you see any disagreement as "divisive". I see discussion and argument, but I see no divides.

arguing about arguing without taking any action to solve the problem.

If you don't like the word divisive, how about disruptive? ridiculous? futile?

you'd prefer to ignore the Elephant in the room?

Excuse me, but can you tell me what the meaning of "is" is?

no. I'd prefer for the moderators to do their job and take action to alleviate this long-standing problem.

Personally, I would consider TheMercenary to be intolerably irritating if there were nobody responding to his crap.

you're saying 'even if there were nobody responding'?

or is it a typo that should say that you 'wouldn't consider the merc to be intolerably etc...'


I can't tell.

Not a typo. If the forum were full of Merc's cut-and-pastes from right-wing blogs and contentless snipes, and nobody called him on it, I would find that intolerably irritating. Redux makes him tolerably irritating. Redux's posts are usually researched, informative, and pertinent to the issue. Merc responds with an irrelevant insult or a popcorn smiley. I am mystified as to how this false equivalency arose.

here's a theory....

the merc has an irritating rating of 135, but that is mitigated by his willingness to be a real person who we can get to know.....for a -50 irritating effect, netting him a rating of 85 irritating points.

redux has an irritating rating of 85.

equivalent.

jinx posits that redux has a irritating rating of 65, but a 20 point volume bonus, giving him an overall rating of 85.

I concede the point

Maybe I'll start a thread talking about the people I'd like not to see here again, just to see who agrees with me.

I'm not backing anyone up here, but responding to the thread itself.

We all know the mods will do what they think best in the end and frankly, I think they're doing the right thing now.

People are supposed to have a right to express their point of view, which is apparently why so many of you enjoy coming here. If you don't like the thread, don't look at it. If you want to discuss the issue without input from those you dislike, use the ignore feature. That's what it's there for.

This.

I don't really understand how Redux is drawing so much flak here. Annoying at times? yes. But by no means the main offender. Not even slightly.

Agree.

But then I also concede LJ & Jinx's point that The Merc is a real person here, who participates in the whole board. Even TW (not mentioned here but can be insufferable occasionally) cracks fierce jokes, and UG has a great line in recipes and archaic knowledge.

I'd like to see more of Redux, not less. Then perhaps we might lose some of the vitriol, on both sides.

Perhaps I feel this way because Redux is on my side of the political spectrum. I hope not, because one of the reasons I love this place is reading intelligent and well sourced opinions from the opposite side. I'm sure other people out there feel that too. And that is something I'd hate to be mod-ed away.