For my part, I have no issues with a General Forum of the character you are talking about. Nor do I believe that this is an issue for the wider HC community.
I do, however, have an issue with threats being made (even if only in cyberspace, or in degrading language being used). By all means, exchange ideas, thoughts, and dialogue, but when it gets down to one poster suggesting that another poster has threatened them in some way, then that's too much.
The next thing that will happen is that either this community will be investigated, the membership disclosure management requirements will be made more stringent, we will find ourselves on the front pages of the news media, or this community will close down altogether.
Last year, this community endured the excesses of the VCR debate when a number of cyber threats were made and these excesses were commented upon in the mainstream media. That is not the sort of ridicule or attention that this site deserves, whether in its stock market, or in its general forums.
By all means, posters can have sections of the site, or individual posters, placed on ignore. But for those of us who do care for the wider HC community, behaviour of the type exhibited last night needed to be moderated (if not by HC itself).
Last night (as one of the more senior posters), I sought to diffuse a situation which, at the time, was threatening to get out of hand. In doing so, however, you likened me to Goebbels because I had posted my comments on this in General (the correct forum) in respect of the threats and vitriole being carried on in ASX-General (the incorrect forum).
You may call this a violation of free speech or the like. But I call it exercising responsibility, taking a stand and being mature, so that we can continue to enjoy this community for all that it offers to everyone, including yourself.
