I feel compelled to comment on the actions of our Admin over the last 24 hours. Since I am considered by some, *cough* Ed, to be the king of controversy around here, I figure who better to do so?
First off I'd like to say that it is my opinion that the actions of the Admin were completely unprofessional, counterproductive and childish. Despite his claims, I feel it was an attempt to censor our thoughts and opinions through fear.
Fear you ask? Yes. Flex your muscle and watch the sheep promptly fall back in line. We were all punished for 24 hours because some of us had opinions that differed from the Admins. I'm sure now in the future those who may think about speaking out against Apple will neglect to do so out of fear that the privilege of posting to this forum will be taken away from them again and those that do will be chastised by their peers out of the same fear.
Privilege you say? Yes. It is a privilege for us to be able to congregate and discuss our personal views online. In all honestly, the Admin has every right to do whatever he pleases, it is his website I assume, but that in no way makes his current actions sensible or correct.
Why shouldn't we be entitled to our opinion be it positive or negative? Why should we only be allowed to praise but not complain? If we were all completely content with Apple, what reason would they have to continue to improve upon their products? When we speak out, I trust that our opinions trickle back to Apple one way or another and compel them to continue and strive to refine their products.
I've interpreted Think Different® to mean think like us or don't think at all. This is the overall feeling I've become familiar with since becoming a member of the Mac community. I think it's most apparent in the Admins statement above and the beliefs that many members of the Mac community hold true.
Actions such as the one taken by the Admin are rather discouraging and counterproductive and I think anyone with a little common sense will find that they do far more harm than good. If people are content living under a fascist dictatorship where the Admin can strike down upon us at anytime without warning, than fine, continue to cower in the shadows and go along with whatever is popular. For the rest of you that aren't afraid and have an opinion, let yourself be heard.
