Perspective on threads like the homosexuality one

[antoshachekhonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 105192

<snip> 
> An incredible infrastructure of guidelines and administrators has evolved on
> this list, because the people who formed it loved to discuss JKR's
> creations. They did not love flame wars, insults, or divisiveness. The
> debates you find here are detailed, intricate, engrossing, etc. -- but not
> rude. If personal attacks or hurt feelings happen, they are attended to.
> 
> That said--no moderator or elf anywhere can protect someone from being
> oversensitive. If you know that you are, please take your own steps to
> protect yourself. There are 5700+ members of this list now; and there are
> reasonable rules to protect an atmosphere that reasonable people can debate
> in. If you know from the outset that your sensitivity will not allow you to
> move in this atmosphere unhurt, well, then, you knew that from the outset.
> 
> ~Amandageist, the old, who recommends the old (very old) threads on gay
> characters in HP to those brave enough to use the Yahoo search function

Antosha:
I am a moderator on an online forum that discusses questions that often lead to very 
heartfelt, passionate discussions. The hardest thing in the world is to keep that level of 
discourse going while keeping it civil.

I applaud the participants in this list for managing so well, and the elves for handling the 
problems so well.