Just some questions that I thought might have some bearing on the discussion. What face does the OR forum want to present to new members? Without historical context, new members can't read between the lines and assign meaning to the intentions of commenters. Shouldn't the establishment and protection of an inviting, safe and comfortable environment be the objective? Would this further the desire to expand participation and grow membership?
I don't know, not saying that the original thread prompted these questions, but these occurred to me as the discussion unfolded here in this thread.
Food for thought