On 3/4/07, wikien-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org < wikien-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org> wrote:
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2007 12:48:55 EST From: daniwo59@aol.com
It is my sincere hope that people will just stop discussing this whole Essjay episode ad nauseum.
Here is someone who made a mistake. You may even say a big mistake. For that mistake he lost his credibility, he lost his community, he lost his job at Wikia, and he is the subject of disparaging articles and opinions both online and in print.
Apart from a public lynching, what else do people want from him?
The really depressing thing about the episode is that so many editors did seem to want a public lynching, and thought it would be for the good of us all. All it was was just a childish joke by Essjay when he first signed up, that ran away with him and only caught up when he was well-known enough to really harm him. Not to say that I approve of what he did but I do have immense sympathy for him.