I've read your LetsPlay. Was utterly fantastic when it came out, and is even better on the successive times I have read it. Probably one of the best I've read (though Toront's Duke Nukem one was also brilliant.) I'll shill for those any day of the week. Great fun.
Yeah, I should probably qualify what I said, and to say I was not a member when he was active, so I guess I can only say what I saw from looking in, and reading vatted threads after I joined. I guess I just thought he made superior arguments to those that opposed him, and quoted evidence that was never refuted by them. Some of the posters were hilarious in their attempts by contrast. I guess I can agree on many of your points otherwise.
It is quite clear that he did attempt to do as you say, and I'm glad that does not exist anymore. Better to refute opinions like he was trying to do before (Not sure Akratus etc. are banned) instead of crushing them. (Wasn't Vergil banned by the current admins/mods?-made that point to say that this place isn't a hive of morons,it's roughly the right balance now.)
I had a longer post that did say all of that, but shortened it, so there it is in all it's (mostly) glory.
Aww, thank you <3
Always nice to hear people enjoyed that pixel rapefest.
Sander was undeniably great at debates, when he was actually debating. Aside from his "annoy them until they break down" tactics, he was always good at constructing arguments and providing evidence. I do not know if he tended to make fallacies in his discourse, but I believe most of the things he has ever argued for he did with a solid backing of sources and evidence, which is more than commendable.
But his attitude while debating (that of an insufferable cunt who knows all) combined with his (and Tagz', as a duo) tendencies to abuse his powers really made me (and many others) dislike him a lot, lot more.
You mentioned Akratus - who was at the time quite all right, I think, and even though his arguments were kinda shit, I'm not sure why he got banned aside from...dunno, he started to annoy Sander I guess. I don't know the proper reason behind that decision. I could be wrong, though, but permabanning felt like abuse of power.