Linda King said:The real issue here is the quality of this thread. Perhaps it isn't solely for the reason you imagine. I actually reported the first part of this discussion for hate speech—no caveats, no "ifs," no little smiley faces offered for context (just compare that to what Hilderik is doing here). Yet, the post wasn't deleted, nor was there any penalty, nor did it particularly disrupt the flow of the debate. That is why I have stopped reading. And then there is Woobie, of course—thousands upon thousands upon billions of Woobie’s posts. To be perfectly honest, both of you have become quite distasteful to me, though each in his own unique way (please don't think I am grouping you together in one single bucket).
Hilderik, however, does not employ hate speech; I know him from the Politics section—where things are known to truly heat up—and he simply possesses a somewhat more explosive writing style ("drop a bomb, chase the gang"), which is evident even in his thread over at the Ban Corner. If you read just that, it becomes clear that his comment could easily be viewed as the work of a "hero rather than a villain." It isn't outside the bounds of forum character, which is perfectly acceptable.
And now, if he is being unjustly accused, is it not only natural that he would lose his temper? Surely that ought to be taken into account when deciding on his permanent status.
One more thing—a somewhat radical idea, I know... bear with me (this goes to the admins): Why shouldn't we simply believe him if he claims his comment was misunderstood? He argued his case quite effectively in his own thread, after all.
I have been moderating that specific PDF for some time now, so I believe I am in a position to offer an opinion.
I won't delve into the disciplinary record Hilderik has accumulated; that is a judgment left to the long-term moderators.
However, Hilderik requested the permanent status himself, and right now, that sounds suspiciously like blackmail—either the moderation follows his whims, or he takes his belongings and leaves. Because he is furious. It is a display of extreme maturity, clearly.
Incidentally, I don't believe Hilderik needs to be granted permanent status, nor should he be restricted from posting in that PDF, provided he isn't insulting others.
As for the thread you are calling trash—it was started when the COVID PDF first opened, and I recall discussions about whether such a thread should even exist. Those more experienced than I predicted very accurately what this topic could devolve into, which is the exact opposite of the standard of discourse we attempt to maintain in the COVID PDF.
We left it open to allow people to write as much as they pleased, providing a sort of pressure valve, with minimal moderation intended only to punish major infractions, insults, hate speech, and the like.
Given all of this, knowing that no one will punish him for expressing his views, Hilderik, as a regular contributor to the COVID PDF, can certainly choose to mind his vocabulary and the context in which he writes.
Regarding Woobie, who seems to be a thorn in many people's sides on the COVID PDF and beyond—since when have the problems on this forum been people who have enough time to write and sustain posts that are almost always coherent, on-topic, and even conciliatory in certain PDFs? It is obvious that those with opposing views find him irritating, just as we moderators find them even more so, but is having a contrary view—which might even be a minority opinion in some threads—a reason to punish a user, or to allow him to be insulted, labeled a paid troll, and subjected to other such filth? I think not.
They have the perfectly good option of ignoring him, which is an excellent way to completely resolve high-tension debates.
That is all from me.