Free Nelson Mandela!

1) I’d like to call upon the expert panel for an answer

How long has the forum veteran hiddenpuma75 (who has contributed so much to this community through his elegant and thoughtful writing style 🙂 ) been partially banned from the Religion section?

If I had to guess, I’d say it’s been somewhere between seven and ten years 😲

Does the forum’s FBI have those specific records on file? 🤔

2.)

I am asking the wise leadership here to please reconsider and lift this penalty, which seems to have stemmed from the personal biases of a former moderator.

It’s not that I’m itching to post in the Religion section, but it just isn't fair, legal, or right to deny someone like Nelson Mandela—or in this case, hiddenpuma75—the ability to read and write there. It feels like the classic fable of the wolf and the lamb being used against him.

Thanks and best regards,

I'm all for this initiative

Count me in too. Though, full disclosure, I’m only doing this because my buddy hiddenpuma75 talked me into it.

I am in complete agreement with hiddenpuma75—whose presence here can honestly only be described as exemplary and beyond reproach.

Since he isn't a problematic user—in fact, I’d say his contributions actually elevate every single subforum he touches—there really shouldn't be any reason for that irrational, and likely quite impulsive, decision regarding his status to remain in effect, especially considering he hasn't moderated the Religion section for quite some time now.

I honestly don't know—I've been going out of my way to avoid the guy for years now. Back when I was handling moderation, he was absolutely unhinged—just completely destructive, like a wrecking ball hitting everything in sight. And since people usually just get more erratic as they age, I’d actually suggest the local admins let him back in...

I’ve actually known hiddenpuma75 since way back in 1998, when we first crossed paths out on Martha's Vineyard; back then, he was kind enough to let me hitch rides on his boat whenever I was completely broke and didn't have a cent to my name. In exchange, all he asked for was my brand new Rolex, which honestly felt like the very least I could do to settle the score.

But anyway, that’s not really the point. The real issue here is getting hiddenpuma75 back into the Religion subforum. As a fellow forum member, hiddenpuma75 is just one of those truly exceptional people—both as a contributor here and as a human being, and even as a dedicated communist. He has this incredible intellectual honesty about him, always being willing to take a hard look at his own views, and his analytical skills are razor-sharp without ever stripping away his holistic way of seeing the world. Plus, he’s someone who will genuinely sacrifice for the greater good of the community. If there was ever a man who loved the labor of life more than anything else, it would be hiddenpuma75. And if there was ever a guy who wouldn't get defensive if you happened to criticize a book he just finished reading, it’s definitely him. There’s also this almost unbelievable capacity he has to overlook little slights that most people would hold onto forever.

Because of all that, I honestly can't wrap my head around why he was banned from the Religion subforum in the first place, and the fact that he's only asking for a return after seven or ten years—rather than much sooner—really just speaks to how humble and self-reflective he actually is.

So, in my opinion, he shouldn't just have his partial ban from Religion lifted; we should probably just make him the moderator of the whole section.

Okay, okay, the second part of that last sentence was clearly a joke. But seriously though, I really do think his partial ban should be lifted. The main reason is that it would finally allow him to move those topics he usually posts over in Philosophy—which are much better suited for Religion—over to where they belong. Doing that might actually give him a shot at achieving his lifelong dream: starting his very own cult.

mistyscout2 said:I’ve actually known hiddenpuma75 since way back in 1998, when we first crossed paths out on Martha's Vineyard; back then, he was kind enough to let me hitch rides on his boat whenever I was completely broke and didn't have a cent to my name. In exchange, all he asked for was my brand new Rolex, which honestly felt like the very least I could do to settle the score.

But anyway, that’s not really the point. The real issue here is getting hiddenpuma75 back into the Religion subforum. As a fellow forum member, hiddenpuma75 is just one of those truly exceptional people—both as a contributor here and as a human being, and even as a dedicated communist. He has this incredible intellectual honesty about him, always being willing to take a hard look at his own views, and his analytical skills are razor-sharp without ever stripping away his holistic way of seeing the world. Plus, he’s someone who will genuinely sacrifice for the greater good of the community. If there was ever a man who loved the labor of life more than anything else, it would be hiddenpuma75. And if there was ever a guy who wouldn't get defensive if you happened to criticize a book he just finished reading, it’s definitely him. There’s also this almost unbelievable capacity he has to overlook little slights that most people would hold onto forever.

Because of all that, I honestly can't wrap my head around why he was banned from the Religion subforum in the first place, and the fact that he's only asking for a return after seven or ten years—rather than much sooner—really just speaks to how humble and self-reflective he actually is.

So, in my opinion, he shouldn't just have his partial ban from Religion lifted; we should probably just make him the moderator of the whole section.

Okay, okay, the second part of that last sentence was clearly a joke. But seriously though, I really do think his partial ban should be lifted. The main reason is that it would finally allow him to move those topics he usually posts over in Philosophy—which are much better suited for Religion—over to where they belong. Doing that might actually give him a shot at achieving his lifelong dream: starting his very own cult.

Look, since the world is basically crawling with—let's be honest—a pretty ridiculous number of cult leaders strutting around in Rolexes and all that other shiny junk, we really ought to come up with something a bit more original. I mean, if you're gonna try to build a following, you need something actually believable, right? Just offering the same old flashy trinkets isn't cutting it anymore. We need a new kind of guru who actually brings something authentic to the table.

Before we even think about putting out a new offer to swap out that partial—we seriously need to double-check all the useful cult stuff. Seriously. 🤔Look, we really need to map out what all these big-shot gurus have actually achieved—you know, just so we don't end up with everyone tripping over each other's toes. It’d be a total disaster if we ended up with two different cult leaders walking around wearing the exact same badges. Just... no. Let's avoid that mess.