https://edgeryders.eu/en/blog/beginning-of-a-great-adventure-patrick-andrews-joins-the-board-of
I hope people can still find this post, as this issue (unnecessary escalation) is also one I found problematic in the discussions on How Edgeryders has Changed and Stewarding Ourselves. @Nadia, can you please link directly here in your ‘comments closed’ comment?
Following on from @Alberto's comment:
“Yes, I am trying to be above anger and pettiness. Is that bad? What should I do, put up a fist fight?”
No, it is not bad. I wholehearted agree with it. Of course you should not put up a fist fight, I never suggested anything of the sort, and it seems a strange conclusion to draw from my statements.
This situation is not that I ‘find Patrick’s approach too tough, and yours too soft’, but rather that your approach is not as soft as you make it out to be.
You advocate even-handedness and adopt a conciliatory tone, i.e. “Arthur, we have done good work together; I wish you well” but the positive statements are barbed with passive aggressive suggestions about @ArthurD needing to “find piece of mind” and that “It saddens me to see a man of that age and experience resort to personal insult and misrepresentation.” This is what I feel is manipulative. It paints Arthur as unhinged and immature, it cheapens any conciliatory or constructive statements you make, and whether you feel that way about Arthur or not, it is simply not helpful to mention it. It’s not helpful for the discussion, it’s not helpful for Arthur, and it’s not helpful for the community perception of you or Edgeryders LBG.
“What would you suggest as an appropriate reaction to allegations you have committed a criminal offense?”
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A statement of your innocence, and the evidence for that innocence.
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nothing more.
Both you and @Patrick_Andrews have, in my eyes, adequately provided 1), but failed miserably at 2).
“do you not think your own gut reaction should have been to ask everyone to stand down and go back to civil interaction?”
Yes, I do think everyone should stand down. I never supported or condoned Arthur’s position. But it seemed to me from the comments that Arthur is not going to have much to do with ER LBG from here on, whereas Patrick will be taking a leading role. His first interaction with a community member since taking on the role was being challenged and accused of wrongdoing. This is tough, but it’s particularly important to be able to rise above personal remarks and lead by example, especially at a time when the relationship between ER LBG and the ER community is so sensitive.
My intention (and I think this was clear to most observers) was not to pick sides, or to suggest that only one person’s language was inappropriate, and everything else was fine. I don’t have a horse in this race. But it’s going to take some time for Patrick to grow into his role, and I wanted to remind him of the importance of his position and his relationship with the ER community, and urge more care in online interactions, even when the conduct of those he is interacting with may leave a lot to be desired.