Block TOMBOT please

Actually can you just delete that whole thread please. It's become rotten and riddled with hate and I don't want it up on ILx any further.

I really don't understand how this kind of behavior is somehow less damaging than, say, Jon Harmless Williams's behavior that got him in a firestorm and changed the entire coding of ilx, for christ's sake.

I'm not going to make excuses for anyone's behaviour on either side of this. I just wish people would learn when to back off. ON BOTH SIDES.

My decision to consider deleting the thread altogether has nothing to do with Tom vs Marcello or Marcello vs Tom etc, but because of the extremely personal nature of the the thread, precedents established, yadda yadda.

As far as I'm concerned, Marcello Carlin outstayed his welcome here long ago. He has show little courtesy for anybody else on these boards in recent times, and should know better than to expect from us the type of generosity and patience which he himself has failed to deliver time and time again.

By bringing his problems to ILE, Marcello effectively opened himself to criticism. If he wasn't prepared to witness a discussion of his person, he shouldn't have gotten personal on the boards.

Putting "DO NOT READ IF YOU HATE ME" in your thread title does not magically refuse entry to those that hate you and want to condemn or provoke you. There is a standard of freedom of speech which I at least try to uphold here, and Tom was well within his rights to make the comments he did.

The fact that I personally agree with the points he raised have nothing to do with this policy decision.

Let me reiterate. That thread was designed specifically for me to have a moan. The subtitle "Do Not Read If You Hate" would, I would have thought, indicated that people who did not like me or my writing should avoid reading it or contributing to it. And on that thread I was very clear in my intention to muse over/discuss personal issues rationally and constructively.

Contrary to what you might think, I do have affection for ILx as a virtual community and enjoy good discussion, however argumentative or combative it may get. But when you get people who plainly don't want to engage with me at any level, who want to use my thread - despite its title - for attacks and pathetic oneupmanship - well, why should my threads serve as a platform for them?

Your third paragraph is crass and arrogant beyond belief. No doubt you would deploy the standard argument is that ILx is a public space and therefore if one comes on it one should expect criticism. Fair enough. But there's a difference between critical engagement and people simply indulging in name calling. The public space argument is flawed for similar reasons. Having a conversation in a pub is something that happens in a public space; nevertheless, it seems to me reasonanble to object to people at the next table who haven't listened and who are not interested in the conversation continually interrupting and distracting those who actually do want to participate. Or wasters who barge in from the street shouting abuse at the customers.

Nevertheless, I am going to withdraw from ILx, this time permanently, as I know when I'm not wanted and I know whom I don't want in my life.

I'm genuinely saddened that it's come to this, but I get enough stress and abuse at work, why should posting on message boards turn into something twice as unpleasant because of freeloading parasites like TOMBOT and his ilk, and their smug moderator protectors?

Bye then everyone. I'll only come back on ILx if or when everyone's different.

There's your problem in a nutshell, Marcello.

Change "when everyone is different" to "when *I* am different" and you might find success for a change.

Yeah, there is. Tom brought forward critical engagement, and you were doing the namecalling.

Bye then everyone. I'll only come back on ILx if or when everyone's different.

Of course, it is everyone else who has to change to suit you. This is typical of your attitude, and perfectly illustrates why I won't miss you in the least. Good-by.

(NOTE: I do not subscribe to this theory.)

they're not your threads.

This is why posting a thread on a message board is not analogous to having a conversation in a pub. (Yes, I know he's "gone" but really shoddy thinking irritates me.)