would you try it in the rain
would you try it on a train

you play it in a box,
would you play it with a fox

-

First, I think you would be better off viewing maxminis as a library rather than a bar, if you need a real word similie to match consvertation tone to.

In a bar, you (or at least I) use rougher language, and typically give mates a harder time.
Doesn't mean the discussion is less adult (or perhaps not more so) without that element, but  you need to tailor your words differently seated around a library. And unlike a pub, maxminis is more a PG rated place.
This is not saying that you can't hold serious topics to discuss, or disagree with people.

I pretty much reject your stereotyping of gamers as socially awkward (well gamers besides you seemed to be the gist).Its a tired, and much over used cliche that doesn't hold up long to reality. Gamers, a very broad term, come from all walks of life and different cultures.
Heck, if you call a gamer anyone who has shot a zombie or played an elf, virtually everyone in current generation of teens is a gamer.
Even if you mean gamers to be so narrow a term to mean RPG players (exluding a portion of maxmini population then), the whole fatguy dribbling in mamma's basement thing is the exception not the rule imo.

To continue bluntly, I really wouldn't view my asking you to cool down ongoing posts within a thread as a reprimand to your personalty. That's just being oversensitive imo, and we must have quite different definitions over what a reprimand is.

Allegories about cops don't really work very well. You can come up with 1000's of allegories about anything pro or con, & finding examples of where pre-emptive action is useful aint hard to do.

You perhaps should of noted that I talked in terms of how others would perceive your posts, which is different to saying you were trying to flame or be insulting etc, or judging you.
I also shared the blame equally in the thread I did lock - seems your implying it was based just ony our actions.

I don't expect that I will get the line of moderation right in every case *shrugs* There will always be threads that I should of locked, or threads I should of left unlocked. I'm not going to lose sleep over (hopefully) few mistakes. I certaintily dont share the opinion that just being blunt gets you crapped on.
(As an aside, I am reminded of those people who love to say they insist of always being 100% honest and use that as thier excuse to abuse anyone they want.)

People can complain. People will complain. People will complain about people complaining. Then people will complain about people complaining about people complaining. That has always been part of maxminis.
It's a much a part of maxminis as people complaining about how xxxxx maxminis is _now_, and how much better it would be if maxmini's listen to thier advice.

It's probably worth noting, that if you or others want to make constuctive advice about maxminis, how its run, what it should be doing, or even just have your complaints listened to, its better as a post in forums dicussion than snips at the end of posts. 

Can't get this out my head now:

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to offend you
Some of them want to get offend by you
Some of them want to offend you
Some of them want to be offend