I didn't see the thread in question before it was deleted, so I'm forced to be agnostic about Fred's more specific points, but I do want to add my agreement to his more general observation.
A small but very active minority here has gotten gratuitously nasty, and taking people "down" for sport seems to be part of their game. Aggressive assaults on people's religion, talent and politics are increasing. A lot of the cooperative spirit that brought people here is vanishing, and it is hurting the board badly in my opinion. This is a place to work on poetry, not an online attempt to overtake shock jock radio.
There has been a definite shift in opinion lately among the sponsors that we have been too laissez faire, and that we should be warning people about hateful comments more aggressively and banning them more often if they do not comply.
Nobody wants to be part of any thought police, but civility is important to the health of the board, and I would encourage those who want to flame at will to simply take their acts elsewhere. Their departure will be a net gain because hateful speech is driving good moderators and participants away from here.
Strong opinions? Fine. Negative opinions on a poem? Fine. Just learn how to express it as a mature adult.
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