Please excuse me for what I am going to say!
ISC is no longer the ISC of yesteryear's. Earlier too, members used to have complaints and grudges, but they used to do it in a polite manner, except a few (including me). The disgruntled members used to raise such threads earlier too, but nobody or just one or two members used to jump in the thread, argue too much and accepted what the editors & webmasters used to say. They never used to stand in groups.
What is happening now? A disgruntled member raises a thread, so many members jump in, stand in a group against the editors & admin. Some members are on a look out with their microscopes for the opportunities to vent their anger against the editors & admins. They keep on arguing, do not accept the explanation of editors & webmasters. Yes, I said - webmasters. I can substantiate that. The editors keep on explaining their actions to all & sundry patiently, but the members do not budge from their stand.
Yes, I do agree that ISC is by the members, and I do not deny the fact that they should be allowed to air their views or complaints. But, so many members jumping in, start to pull the thread in different directions and the main issue is most of the times lost somewhere.
When & why did this start?
It all started somewhere in the mid of 2015. A you-scrub-my-back-and-I-scrub-your's group came up. Few members joined hands behind the scenes and few other gullible and naive members became the member of the group unknowingly, unaware of the evil designs of the founders of the group. Prior to that (mid of 2015), if there were any issues between a member & an editor, they used to be dealt with privately by emails & PMs, but towards the end of 2015 (within 6-7 months), that route for raising issues had to be stopped because of reasons which are not explainable in open forums.
My view is that the admin have been too lenient towards the erring members. They gave in to some unworthy demands. It was and is their magnamity that they did not ban a few members, when they should have. They tried to give indirect hints in the forums to the members and might have tried to reason out with them privately through mails too. Well, I am not privy to such things and it is my guess only. Even if they banned a few members in 2016, it was not announced in forums, and nobody knew about such suspensions except one or two odd cases. That encouraged some members to go overboard.
If the suspension of the members were announced in forums, irrespective of their membership level, the situation would been different now.
Secondly, I do not see any reason why editors should give explanations in every second thread. Once in a while it is OK, but doing it on daily basis, wastes the time of the editors. Like Sun mentioned herein above, just a plain - no queries will be entertained on the issue - should be implemented.
Thirdly, some regular members have forgotten that editors are voluntary, and they are not paid employees. The members demand explanations from the editors as editors were their employees. The regulars should be more sensitive to the issues. They should not stand in groups.
Everybody knows - to err is human. The editors are humans too and not machines. They have their personal lives too. So, an occasional lapse on the part of editors should not be latched on to as an opportunity to show the editors in bad light.
Fourthly, the route of PMs & emails to address issues can be re-opened, if the admin think that it is suitable, since a few hurdles have disappeared on their own.
I have been a member since Feb 2011, and have not been contributing much since Oct 2014, but I do open ISC everyday, and have been aware of the happenings. Please do not ask me to elaborate anything since it would not be appropriate to directly name anybody in forums.
Members, please be rational & reasonable in your demands and give the editors their space and some leeway too, the way the admin have been adjusting each one of us over the years by turning a blind eye to our misdemeanor.
When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new!