What are private messages actually for?

Well, they shut this down fast, didn't they? 😁 Just to make sure I wouldn't get a chance to actually respond.

And since you’ve decided to take private messages and post them publicly, you might as well have shared the whole thing instead of just one sentence.

Here it is in its entirety:

Message from the salon
Doctors ruined my childhood, and now you're letting you clutter up this thread with talk about tuberculosis—something that isn't even a threat to cowboys or Native Americans anymore? Have you no shame? And what kind of "constructive criticism" would you even permit? Is presenting facts not considered constructive? Or does your medical ego simply not allow a layman like me to offer any critique at all?

It’s blindingly obvious that this isn't about him locking the thread; it’s about my reaction to his incredibly arrogant comment.

The moderator is definitely flexing their power here.

A snippet of a message has been released, making it abundantly clear that the subject was an attempt to criticize the moderation team. The remaining content holds no relevance to the matter at hand.
Furthermore, closed threads are not to be reopened; please refrain from such attempts in the future. While I regret if the explanation provided does not meet your expectations, it has been delivered and subsequently upheld by the head moderators. There is nothing more to be said on this matter.