I won't get involved Stroller but just to say I think the whole Moderation institution is counter productive and needs to be gradually liquidated.
If it was up to me there would be no Moderators at all. The Board would self-regulate and the free market would dictate the type of Board it would be and type of Poster it would attract ( and discard). The problem is, when a conflict breaks out and someone goes to the Moderators and they act with some form of restrictive measure(s), it merely antagonises people and leaves a burning resentment which eventually surfaces somewhere else down the road with twice the intensity the original argument was composed of. If people wonder why everything goes smoothly for a while and then all of a sudden the place erupts into mayhem seemingly out of nowhere, there's their answer. A problem that wasn't allowed burn itself out when it was on the threshold of doing so, instead simmered beneath the surface until it was triggered into exploding, often to the onlooker's amazement because of the apparent innocuousness of the comment or post to which it reacted. Then you have another wave of punishments and ostracism which in turn hardens attitudes still further. We had a recent case which displayed all the classic symptoms of the result of this ill-conceived policy.
Its all totally avoidable. Ironically, by doing less the Mods would do more to enhance the harmony and well-being of the Forum. In your case, I'm sure Andy didn't know that was your son in the picture and actually thought it was you. Your reaction is normal(ish) when facing a perceived slight on your own flesh and blood but when you realise the perpetrator didn't actually mean what you thought he meant, the situation is neutralised.
Do you understand what I'm saying Strolls?
