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@Kalexander2, Please no name calling in this conversation. I deleted a couple of words above. To be clear, this website is a commercial, for profit, entity. But as previously stated money, unlike a corporate site, it not the primary goal. Most of the ads are for other books, but you'll also notice some google ads here as well. Speaking of subscriptions, you may subscribe here. 🙂 K2 I appreciate the explanation of your engagement with Del and Pioneer it seems forthright. No one is above reproach, and you are not the first poster to be immature or vicious; I just prefer it none of us made it a habit. I think @Cynique has been the target of the most vicious and mean spirited things anyone has ever said on these forums. To her credit she never seemed to take things seriously or internalize them. In fact, she even advocated for her attackers! I've been attacked viciously as well. There is at least one racist troll I secretly enjoy because they are just funny. I've even saved some of them anti-Troy racist memes. I mean they really put time and effort into insulting me. I've had to delete accounts, ban ip address, and more to keep them at bay. You can't start crying everytime some insults you on the web. I know kids are killing themselves over Facebook posts and I find this profoundly sad... @Delano, above all I want people to; (1) express themselves freely. Perhaps more freely than they can in real life, where you don't have the opportunity to think about what you are saying or to be influenced by visual cues or the reaction of the person you are talking to. (2) I'd also hope that people do learn something. I know I have, I for example have learned a lot more about climate change and race, just during the course of debating or teaching here. I've also changed my position on a number of things based upon things said here -- often in ways that I did not anticipate. Most recently, for example, I used to be a fan of Dr. Umar Johnson, until I watched more of his videos (thanks to Pioneer) and realized that I don't support much of what he exposes... As you said Del, I'm the moderator and the owner, but you'll also notice outside of this conversation I have not deleted a single post in Pioneer's and K2's insulting each other. Again I want people to freely express themselves, but the ongoing bickering tended to obscure interesting conversations which prevented people from learning from those conversations.

@Chevdove, often merely disagreeing with something is seen as a personal attack. There are people I can't even have a conversation with because if I disagree with them they take it personally -- and that is in the real world where I'm not nearly as direct as I am here. The other problem is everyone is different. Take Pioneer's demand for an apology for example. He feels K2 crossed a line and now he deserves an apology But he can't see that the line he created is purely arbitrary, of his own making, and no one else is bound to accept it. That does not mean his line is wrong or right, but I'm not going to ban people crossing every arbitrary line that someone has crossed. K2 could simply invoke some arbitrary line that Pioneer crossed and demand an apology too. This is a lose-lose scenario @Pioneer1 banning you both would obviously bring an end to the bickering. But again, I would not do that because you are both capable of making meaningful contributions to the forum and I don't ban people for getting into arguments -- these things happen. It is just this argument has gone on for sometime and I was curious what you other people really thought about it. {Donning my hotep hat} It does pain me to see two Black Kings tearing each other down.