The site is the same as it was before the incident. What HAS changed is our perspective. That's not such a horrible thing, it was the way it happened that is so upsetting to many, imo.
The site is still the static site it was. There are still live, breathing, caring, human beings who are members, posting, reading and caring. That didn't change, really. The rules and guidelines are still intact.
What HAS changed is our perspective on our own "being here." With the offender gone from the site, why not feel safe again? Aren't we really SAFER now, than we were last week? Just because you might not have known that problem member was about to act like they did, did that make your safety any different?
Hasn't all that changed is the "sense" of safety, but not really the "safeness" at all? IMO, we're safe here. We are SAFER here, perhaps. Safer now because many members didn't think about not being safe. Maybe they aren't safe on another site, and now they will be safe there too...because they know what not to do, and what to do for safeness. Isn't learning good for us?
When you really step back and look... wow there are over 9000 "members" here...and yet... one... has done this at this time. That's pretty good, if you ask me!
And anyone else even thinking about being mean and two faced (as someone once posted) we will be all the wiser about them. In fact, MORE of us here are wiser...not just the mods and admin and some other members who tend to know how to sense these things.. but so many more of us.. you... are wiser now.
I hope I'm not too general in my posting this... and that you can take some time and think about what I've posted. Sorry, sometimes my posts take too much thinking, I think, imo. (chuckling to myself.) I am a philosopher at heart
Just can't help myself
We can feel safe again - imo- by deciding we are safe. We can determine that this has made us wiser, and thereby safer, and we can feel better now than we did. It might take a few tries, but it can be done. We might take a few steps forward and then back and then forward again.
We can do this...and it would be in our own best interest to... imo.