Xeno, I understand your frustration, as I have myself time and again been misunderstood in forum and other electronic communications. I've said it a few times, but I suppose it bears repeating: it is exceedingly difficult to convey precisely and subtly in a forum (or email or IMs, for that matter) the full range of emotions and thoughts capable in even a simple telephone call. In situations like the one you described above, I prefer that our members chalk it up to the limits of this form of communication.
We are happily free of much of the conflict that marks many other forums, and dang if I won't do whatever I can to maintain our high level of civility here. I would ask that you kindly bring up these issues in the thread itself, or perhaps even by PM. I have seen scheng's posts, and I know that overall, s/he is tactful, thoughtful, and respectful. I should add that I found your post also quite tactful and respectful, and for that I would like to thank you.
However, I don't think a forum is a good place to host a People's Court, as it were. Nor do I think many people would actually respond.
I do not want to have to flex my administrative muscle by closing this thread right now, because I hope that the rest of this conversation will be civil and helpful. But if things become disagreeable, I may need to close the thread or simply delete it, but as I said, I prefer to do this only in extreme cases.
I honestly feel confident that you could resolve these issues by PM; I've seen it happen many times here. I should also mention that I have edited out what appeared to be the name of the member in question, as I believe it's important to respect and protect the privacy of our members.
Thanks for your understanding, Xeno.
