I can understand that the gods needed to "blow off steam". Sure - I can relate to that. I need to blow off steam, myself, so:
I readily agree that everybody should have realised that this entire dirty affair was arranged with the connivance of the gods. After all, it had to have been.
I realised as much myself....at first. Then, when the insanity went on, I began to have doubts. Would the gods really, truly be behind something as damaging to E2 as this? And, make no mistake, I think this was very damaging.
To a certain extent, the respect given the gods and editors in daily affairs on E2 is based on a healthy awe of their powers within the system. That is the "pragmatic" half of our respect for them. The other half is admiration - a deep-down understanding that these people are doing good work, hard work and sometimes dull work, in the pursuit of making E2 a better place.
After the great April Fool's Day Trollscapade, feeling admiration for the gods and editors is going to be somewhat harder.
So...one has to ask the question of the gods and editors: was this April Foolery really so much fun that it was worth reducing our respect for you from being based in admiration, to being based only on your power?
If it was worth it for you, well and good. I won't harp on it.
But it would seem to be the case, judging from some of the writeups posted above, that this left some of you feeling slightly soiled. Some of you understand that you lied to people who were genuinely concerned, people who cared about E2. You kept the "joke" going for far too long - even after it must have been obvious to you just how much damage you were doing.... and hey, I don't really think it was so funny as to be worth all this anguish.
You behaved childishly - and sure, it is your God-given right to make idiots of yourselves. Just don't expect to be applauded for it.
In the News for Noders section, placed prominently on the front page of E2, dem bones has this to say about trolls:
"E2 does not allow trolls. If you are a troll and are interested in posting here you will have to stop being a troll first. This will be one of the finest decisions you have ever made."
Apparently,
this principle does not apply universally.
There, I've blown off my steam. Feel free to disregard this writeup - I'll go back to noding facts, with never another word on this subject. But I don't think I'll ever feel quite the same way about E2, again, or about you - and I don't believe I am alone in this.