"Respect is exactly a vogue notion when it is bestowed by design."

Respect is not a vogue notion. I don't know how to state it any clearer than that. Respect for innocent bystanders, respect for those we do not know, respect for other people as individuals. People who do not act respectfully to others should not be surprised when they are treated disrespectfully.

"Respect happens, you don't give it, it just is. "

One can be respectful even if one doesn't feel respectful, if for no other reason, to maintain an atmosphere in which people would actually like to communicate.

One can always contrive reasons for being disrespectful. If one just "doesn't feel" respect, then one cannot be shocked when one is disliked.

I know a lot of smart people. Some of them take the view that respect and manners are utterly superfluous. These fellows are very eager to be critical of others - "I'm just being honest," the say. But any time they themselves are criticized, they take it deeply personally.

I do not get the point of your poem. I do not come to this board for status. I do not care what the people on this board think of me. If there are people on this board who enjoy each other's company outside the net, I'm happy for them and not envious - but for myself, I have plenty of things to keep me busy and I don't need any more. I enjoy reading the various fora on which I participate, but they are a very small part of my life and I would not feel threatened or left out if I am not everyone's favorite person. If the worst thing that happens to me in a day is that I get banned from a group, I would count it as a very good day.

In the very few years that I've participated on this forum, I have blasted one person outright - and that very recently. I regret wasting my time. I have refrained in the other cases for several reasons:

1. After 25 years on the net, I have at least a vague notion of the futility of it all. There is a lot I could be doing instead of arguing with someone.

2. I almost never understand how the blasted arguments get started - probably because I only read a very few threads. By the time I get wind of a disagreement, it sounds like he-said-she-said to me and my life is sufficiently full that I'm never inclined to spend time to investigate the circumstances.

3. I don't like the idea of 20 guys beating up on someone, even when that someone is obviously a horse's ass.

4. I don't want to be part of any clique or de facto governing body, even on fora I helped to create.

5. I don't need the drama.

OTOH, there are some people who love drama. They crave it. They create it ex nihilo. If they are not the centers of attention, they are constitutionally obliged to instigate it.