This is your site Frogboy and you should be able to have it run anyway you feel. Personally I see nothing wrong with what was 'posted' but thats me. People take offense to alot of various things and there is no way to please everyone. It like they used to say about TV.. if you don't like it turn the channel.

We want to have a community site in which people are free to *discuss* issues that concern them without some self-appointed elite threatening to "take their stuff and leave" if the rest of the community doesn't capitulate immediately to their demands.

As I visit other sites, one thing that comes up regularly when the subject of WinCustomize.com is how they left the site because of the elitism.  So for every elite who threatens to take their stuff and  leave if we don't conform to their demands, we lose several people who don't comment who are disgusted with the elitist attitude prevalent in the forums.

The moment the site allows a self-appointed elite to decide for the majority what the community should behave like, is the moment we don't have a community anymore.

It's a blurred line between having pride in a community and being an elitist. Since forums are for expressing opinions, it isn't hard to cross the line.   

Just thinking back, not too long ago someone had a swastika for an avatar and I whined about it. Is something like that over the line?

If you want to play with adults then you'd better be an adult. If parents don't want their kiddies to come to WC, then they need to IMPOSE their parental controls on their respective systems and teach their children do's and don’ts at home before turning them loose! It's not only ignorance, but this alone places the blame squarely on the parent’s narrow minded stupidity.

In other words people don’t blame others because you failed to control your child!!

Bravo to Frogboy, some parents need to pull their heads out of their butts, wake the hell up and start being a parent.

I've been a WC member since 2003 and this has always been one of the most eclectic and professionally ran sites on the internet!

If parents want to bitch, they need to complain about My Space or some other crappy so called family oriented site. WC has never been risqué and is always under careful and tasteful scrutiny.

Bottom line for me is certain people just shouldn't reproduce. They need to get spayed or neutered and stop contaminating the planet with little tiny idiot clones of themselves.

There I said it. Take Frogboy’s advise, pack up your luggage and just go, we don’t want you or your sorry no value clones in here! Hook them up on “My Space” or “Chatropolis” and turn them loose without supervision with the muggers, hackers, predators and degenerates in there, please!! Those sites will give you plenty to bitch about and maybe, just maybe you will learn that WC ain’t the bad guy, when in fact it’s actually your own self inflicted ignorance and lack of parental abilities that’s the real culprit.

I don't thing there are any WWII vets in the community, however a swastika IS over the line.

A little misperception is even going on here...they didnt threaten to pull their skins if Winc was going to allow content like that...they just left.

Threatening to pull your skins to force your way however,is just silly.  

Frogboy...if this is aimed at me...I did not threaten to do something..I only told admin of my intentions. I am no prude. Did I put up a fuss when Po and Skinhit had their little war of pics? No...BECAUSE they are adults and the pics were CLEARLY adults. The same goes for most of the cheesecake shots. My only objection was that the pic LOOKED like it was of a minor! I did not try to impose my "will" on anyone, but I will stand up for what I believe in. If you saw the same numbers of exploited and abused children come thru your office as I have in the past 25 years, you too, might think a little harder when you see a pic like that.

I truly am sorry that you are so offended by my concern.

 

He's not just an "admin"- he is the reason this site exists.

"You don't have children"?  Is that directed at Brad?  Because, he does have children, and one of them is female.

His attitude is elite?  You are the one coming on to a privately owned site telling the owner that they are not "professional" and are "elite"?  Think about that a bit.

I have watched this site go from a fun loving community to a bunch of great people with a few skin-thinned elitists, and it's extremely sad.  I, personally, am sick of the "This isn't right!  It has to be removed!" posts.  Has anyone ever thought about simply emailing an admin for explanation?

We have this wonderful thing called the internet that allows people to research things prior to simply going on assumption.  It took me less than a minute to locate info on this model and to find out that she was in her 20s. 

 

I'm a little late to this soiree, what was the wall in question? Is it still up & available? If so can someone post a link? I'd like to see what all the fuss is about. If this is asking too much just say so.

No.  The point is we WANT people to be able to have different opinions. We want an environment where people can feel free to disagree without feeling ganged up on or without someone saying "Well if you don't do as I command then I am going to take my stuff and leave"

What kind of community do people want to have? One where a small group tries to force others to agree without any discussion? 

 

I think you have every right to voice your concern.

Where I draw the line is when someone says "IF the site doesn't do as I say, then I am removing my stuff and leaving." 

Because that statement completely changes the discussion. Look back in that thread and you have people saying "This screenshot isn't worth losing 2 or 3 of our valuable members." 

In other words, when someone threatens to take their stuff and leave, it ends open discussion. People instead want to capitulate in order to placate "valuable members".

I'd close the site before I'd allow it to become a place where only "valuable members" get to have a say on how the site is run.

I have 3 children. My 10 year old son is on this site.

http://alexwardell.wincustomize.com/

The issue is not about what is and isn't appropriate to be posted on the site. The issue is whether "valuable members" of the community should be allowed to end reasonable discussion on what the community will or won't allow posted by threatening to leave and hence change the topic to people wanting to capiulate to those users to  keep them from leaving regardless of the merits of their position.

Very eloquently put ogman