[tuq]

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His bark was so much worse than his bite that his reign of terror seemed to me mostly a comical exaggeration and something to stir up drama and paranoia about. The paranoia looked like a very effective weapon in getting some people to behave themselves, but I always thought anyone reasonably sharp could see through all the fearsome drama.

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Regarding that last sentence, I don't agree. The vast majority of readers are transient or part-time contributors; they don't have time nor interest to decipher a moderator's motives so they are likely to take him at face value.

I was bewildered and frightened by him for a long time and quite honestly thought I would get * just for being a noob. That fear probably did scare me into being a better poster and is maybe something I should channel today to keep my post count under control...