It's sad for me to see bullies win.
As I step outside the pleasant garden of Slope and look elsewhere, I see quality content and analysis going underground. Evil looks like he's starting to roll up the carpet. And Sol has posted his "last trade" as he now goes gently into the good night.
There are a couple of (extremely minor/barely trafficked) sites that are largely responsible for this destruction, and it's a shame. The sick part is that they see themselves as somehow virtuous. Remember that Lucifer means "bearer of light." Baseless mud-slinging and accusations are uncalled-for, and – who knows – they could wind you up in court.
In my own world, the large body of guest contributors briefly contributed a bunch of content, but that's dried up to nothing. I guess it becomes apparent to people that creating quality material is a lot of work. Having done about 10,000 – yes, ten thousand – posts over the years, I'm puzzled that folks can't chip in one or two a week, but I understand people have plenty else going on in their lives.
Added to which, the inter-guest-writer drama got ridiculous. So in a way, I guess I'm relieved that guest content has dried up. I'll be wise and not go into the details.
In any case, I'll just keep doing what I've always done – – sharing my own thoughts (and a few trades) as time permits. I'm grateful to the community here, and the diminution of content elsewhere strengthens my resolve that we all need to have a place to convene, learn, and discuss. I'm not going to let bullies, half-wits, and obsessed/jealous freaks spoil the show.
