Well we disagree on war and peace
This thread is not really about war and peace, so we probably shouldn't hijack the thread for it. I will write my opinion and then move on to what is relevant to this thread.
My personal experience is the opposite of yours. I spent half a lifetime making peace, walking away, accommodating etc. The result was that I was treated like dirt. Like you I changed. I don't take shit from anyone. I don't go looking for fights, and I try to settle things peacefuly, but if it's going to be a fight, I am up for it. There is no part of me that wants to turn the other cheek.
I don't agree that all war is wrong. I think violence is an integral part human nature and is constructive as well as destructive. At the very least one should defend oneself. The history of nations shows that the rabbits get eaten.
So much for that. If you want to toss it back and forth we can start another thread or PM or not. It's all good.
As for this thread, I don't think it's fair to lay the blame at the Prof's door. He didn't initiate hostilities. He made a serious effort to ignore provocations but they wouldn't go away. Sure, there may have been better ways to handle it, but I don't think it's reasonable to demand it of the Prof. His behavior is the norm in our society (in most societies). It is considered quite acceptable to stand up for yourself when attacked in one way or another, in fact it's expected of you and that's what the Prof did.
IMO there is a more serious problem underlying this:
This thread is an abject failure on the part of RIU.
This is a forum where people learn to grow marijuana. It was given the chance to have an expert grower field user's question and
they tried to run him out of the room!!! This is like spitting in the face of someone who hands you a $100 bill.
The attack dogs who set on him are one thing, assholes are a fact of life but why didn't RIU protect him??
RIU's policy states explicitly that personal attacks and harrassment are not allowed. Why didn't they enforce it?
In general there is too much of this shit on RIU. Far more than on other forums that I frequent. About half the threads are poisoned with these bitch fights or sometimes simply lynchings and over what? A guy says he's done this or that in his grow and all of a sudden he's being torn apart by dogs. Societies need a police force otherwise people behave badly.
Posting in RIU is like walking down meanstreets. I'm always watching my back and never really relaxed. I fully expect to be on the recieving end of one these vitriolic attacks sooner or later.
I've several times wondered WTF I stay here. I have met some really fine people and learned a great deal, true, but I really don't enjoy having to wade through blood, guts and screaming just to find out how to improve my yield some.