Along with Mr. Camera's other accomplishments, he might also add moderator, diplomat, and/or statesman (but, alas, still not coffee grower!)
First and foremost, I respect the advice offered in the aforementioned posts on this thread and will sincerely try my best to heed by and put it into practice.
All in all, I cannot say that I am surprised by what has been happening on the forum of late - and Neil's subsequent and heartfelt cry of "respect, please" among everyone in our group. It is obvious that he is trying to hold the community together. One didn't necessarily need a crystal ball to see that a storm was approaching. It was inevitable. The black clouds have been looming on the horizon for a while.
For me, Wackys are not just an intellectual experience, but moreover, an emotional experience - even passionate. Whether in my admiration for the artwork, ties with tradition, appreciation of humor, future expectations - certain levels of emotion are always predominant. And I also feel that I am not alone in this regard. At the show last weekend, you could feel this very emotion in the air. It was palpable, manifesting itself a thousand ways through excitement and smiles and laughter and appreciation and awe. As I've stated elsewhere, the very reason for the existence of Wackys is to make people smile, to inspire a sense of joy. Wackys and emotion walk hand in hand.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I believe that many people here - although highly appreciative of Wackys - are disappointed, discontent, and disgruntled - and have been for some time. Moreover, this effect has been cumulative, a rolling emotional snowball that keeps growing larger and larger. Of course, everyone here is well-versed in the downward curve that WP have taken in recent times:
Thin borders.
Generic products.
Satire over parody.
No more die-cuts.
Extravagant prices.
The 50th Anniversary Set letdown.
I believe this last was the proverbial "icing on the cake." It shattered so many expectations and broke with tradition (a tradition it should have been celebrating.) Now we have members bashing this and trashing that - myself included. Whispers of dissent now ripple the air. Swiski has stopped adding posts to the "Gag Criticism and Variation" thread - a post celebrating Wackys and read over 36,000 times. (And although I may have not added much to this in the way of comments, I used to enjoy paying a visit over there.)
And still the downward curve continues...
Rushed artwork.
Googled images.
Recycled artwork posing as new.
A few more straws to be loaded onto an already overburdened camel's back. Additional insult added to injury. I could be mistaken, but I believe many members - both collectors and artists - have felt slighted, if not insulted, by some of the latest turn of events - and are reacting as one might expect them to react: views and responses steeped in emotion, running the spectrum from insightful and grounded to resentful to boorish and crass.
I believe Neil is right, though. We must maintain a sense of dignity and respect if our community is to hold itself together and prosper. I, for one, am willing to give it a go. Will I feel stifled at times? Yes, I already have. Upon reading Neil's first post, it has taken me hours to digest it and a few more to properly word my response. Will I make future criticisms? Yes, in all likelihood. I cannot promise, though, that I will not name anybody. (It bothers me to speak of somebody in the third person, let alone refer to that person as simply "he" or "she." To me, this borders on being disrespectful.) Thus, if I refer to, say, Ms. Im, who has been a topic of late, I will call her exactly that. (I mean, really, it is her name.) I will also do my best to back up any criticism with direct and specific examples, and avoid hyperbole. (Many are the times I've questioned my own remarks and have sometimes sought out the advice of other forum members in regard to this.) I cannot say, though, that I'll always cloak my criticism behind metaphor. Some of the most cruelest and hurtful comments are often made within the bounds of propriety, cleverly hidden behind the thinnest veils of polite metaphor.
So, thank you, Neil, for your sage advice - and your concern in looking out for the overall welfare of our community.