When you read Dave's psycho-babble, it's usually there because some poster crossed a line that Alembic would prefer not be crossed in this forum. That's how he chooses to moderate in many cases rather than editing posts and suspending or banning users as might happen on some other forums. I didn't get to see Jeff's last post on China, but I have to say I was surprised to find that it had been deleted. I can only imagine the tone it must have had to elicit that response. Deleted posts don't happen very often around here, and the post that started this thread remains intact.
It's hard to talk about the China thread, but I will try to be careful. We see so many people in society quick to take offense based upon the way they interpret what someone else has said. Words are an imperfect means of expressing thoughts and feelings. If you're going to take offense at something you read or hear, make sure you understand the meaning behind it first. Chinese doesn't necessarily mean All of China in the context of the thread, though one could interpret it that way, increasing the potential for offense to be taken. It might just mean some irresponsible company in China that I can't specifically identify. If Jeff had replaced the word Chinese with the name of some giant conglomerate, wouldn't you believe the level of offense taken would have been greatly reduced? This is just a hypothetical example, though, and I hope no one latches onto this to debate Jeff's initial intentions here.
I can't say exactly what the relationship is between Dave's views and those of Alembic management with regard to moderating these boards, but I suspect them to be very much in sync. Mica, Susan and company have more important things to do than to directly moderate these boards. They've asked Dave to do this for them, and we all need to respect that. On occasion, they might have something to say, and I wouldn't be shocked to see a post from them on this thread now that some have called Dave's objectivity into question. There's also moderating going on, that many don't see, via email and even the occasional phone call. Being a senior member provides a historical context in which to view posts that approach or cross lines. It can help those around here to understand where someone is coming from and mitigate the harm that could be done by questionable statements. It's probably a fair part of why the China thread was allowed to remain active even though it was pushing limits. That said, senior members should have the experience to understand and respect Alembic's wishes to begin with. We shouldn't be the ones creating work for the moderator.
Personally, I'd rather see less of the so-called psycho babble as well, but only because the important message is too easily lost among all the extra words. If the goal is a clean website, then it should be made clear to any poster when they violate Alembic's posting rules. They shouldn't have to read a parable and try to figure it out for themselves, or believe it to be off-topic and completely ignore it. Of course, that clarity can, and may, occur privately rather than via public post.
As I understand it, this is the Alembic website. These boards exist for reasons related to Alembic and their products, and Alembic wants to keep them friendly to anyone who might want to come here, even for purely business reasons. That means controversial topics unrelated to instrument construction or musical taste really don't belong (but bring on the set neck vs. neck through debates all you want). Personally, I support this philosophy 100%. Many of us lose sight of that periodically, especially those who have been around long enough to think of this as a place where friends come to chat.
