Things have gotten UGLY around here.
I think we all saw this coming (at least to a degree) at the start of this thread. While in poor taste, the title of the thread in the Photography forum seems to be of relatively little interest here. Clearly the focus is on the appropriateness of the FWB thread in Lonely Hearts. Sexuality is possibly a bigger hotbed (sorry) than religion. Prior to that particular posting, the Lonely Hearts forum was comprised mostly of lighthearted banter. Sure, there was the random post by somebody looking for like-minded people in their areas...but not as many as I expected when I saw the title and opening statement. Many of the threads involve topics that some people consider inappropriate for discussion on a public forum, especially a special interest site (that is not geared toward that particular topic); but how often have people raised a fuss about them? They exist, in moderate obscurity, because people that didn't wish to take part in the discussions didn't. Why is this one different? Because it is an outright solicitation for an intimate partner? Because it represents beliefs and a lifestyle that are foreign to many of us? Because it violates some people's sense of morality? Yes, Yes, and Yes...all those reasons AND MORE. The arguments can, and have, been made that there is no reason to have that forum on a reptile site...but the same can be said for Just For Laughs, Sound Off, General BS, Mammals, Birds, Plants, Fish, Computer, Paranormal, etc, etc, etc. If these areas don't interest us, we don't have to go to them. If you see something you don't like, close it. Yes, sometimes things merit a response...and maybe this is one of them, but this seems to be on a downward spiral.
Personally, while not offended by the initial posting, I didn't think it was appropriate. I remember thinking that it wouldn't go over well (how's that for an understatement). People expressed their feelings, but when the forum mod and site admin didn't acquiesce, they were unable (or unwilling) to accept it and move on. It turned personal. I will admit that I have formed a bond with some of the members, and I like the family/community mentality that pervades the site...but that doesn't mean I think that Rich should be obligated to change something because I am unhappy with it. While I think that discussion of "hot topics" is a part of this site we have come to expect, I think that this whole thread was probably a bit premature. I mean no offense to the original poster, but the majority of Fauna members (and visitors) probably never read the 2 highlighted posts...and, in all likelihood, both would have been buried in short order. If either of them, singly or combined, had led to more postings of a similar nature...well, then we would have reason to be having these discussions. Perhaps, the admin and moderators would even see things differently.
I just realized how longwinded this is, so it is time to close. I feel fairly safe in saying that anyone that might have considered a similar post has probably changed his/her mind...unless somebody does it for the sole purpose of resparking the controversy. And to the nature of some of the postings - I certainly hope that the hostilities here draw to a close in the near future, preferably before people start voluntarily leaving the site, getting removed, or what have you.
