[TeslaGuy]

I think it is a bit myopic to judge this forum's health by the recent posts on one thread, and certainly don't see them as a bellwether indicative of an inexorable decline. Judging from the content of other current threads, the community seems reasonably healthy.

Some members have expressed opinions that others deeply disagreed with, but one of the qualities that I have felt has epitomized EMF is tolerance. I do think that there have been some unnecessarily harsh rebukes of people's legitimate perspectives recently, which do nothing to enrich the discourse and only foster enmity, but if we look at some of the recent activity as a model of EMF not on it's best behavior, perhaps we can learn from it.

Concerning the absence of some former core members, this seems inevitable. Communities are dynamic, not static. People's interests and priorities change. As a "n00b", I see an active, interesting core membership right now. Perhaps it is not as exceptional as some fabled group that used to converse here years ago, but one certainly full of bright, engaging minds. Lamenting the loss of the old core repeatedly will not result in their return, and only evokes blank stares of incomprehension from the newer members who never knew these people. It also has the probably unintended consequence of implying that we are somehow inferior. I am of the opinion that we make valuable contributions, and introduce new, unique, worthwhile viewpoints.

I do wish that conflicts between members would quickly migrate to PMs. I know that is probably unrealistic. No one else really cares much about the details of these disagreements, but we all have to involuntarily witness their escalation. I personally just dispassionately perceive them as a bit of unfortunate noise, but imagine that some people could find them upsetting.