Screw you guys. Screw you all. I had several key points I wished to bring up and you guys stole my keyboard.
Most of us on staff can still hear the echoes from the last time someone was in power and used it in an absolute manner, without regard to members or staff or anything that might be harmed by that heavy hand. That hand, in fact, drove out a LOT of the older generation who held forums like the LOUNGE to a higher decorum than it currently holds. But my point is that this thread could have been swept under the carpet, or scuttled to a private staff corner - it hasn't, because we do recognize that the needs of the members should be kept in mind when regarding site or forum policy. 9mm's point stands.
But at the end of the day, the LOUNGE is a byproduct of the site, and can be eliminated or reformatted by "the manz" if it interferes with the site's needs and goals overall. Yes, keeping the members happy is part of it, but the overall site is more important. To say that people can avoid the LOUNGE if they don't like it, that pummeling n00bs and derailing or assraping threads should be acceptable if the members in there want it .... no. There is a level of decorum (sorry, SA, I think you worded it too well for me not to steal), which this site needs to maintain. If the LOUNGE or any other forum detract from that in a way that would interfere with our goals, then quite frankly the members who desire that sort of internet interaction can go elsewhere. This site is here for HR, and the LOUNGE is intended to meet the needs of the members for non-drug social interaction. This site is not here to host the turd of the internet, using HR as a financial crutch to host such banter.
Listening to the members, that's why the thread is still open. Trying to reach a medium where member needs are met but the forum falls under the umbrella of the site appropriately, that is why staff and members are sharing their thoughts.