I think he wins the argument about 'splenetic' mindsets and downright disgusting metaphors, 10 to 0.
Indeed, absent apologies, why should he be sympathetic to their claimed loftier aims now? Still, that's not the entire dimension of the mischief on multiple 'sides'.
Unclear if he is (yet?) aware of the claimed 'fact' of the thousands of Moderator hours invested in the 'success of the site' (now seen to be truly Necessary 'Moderation' -- given the fulminations we see that the motley crew can spew so voluminously, when poked with a stick.) D. attributes all.. to his sidekick; this leaves a strong impression that, indeed D. has been and remains out-of-touch with the whole ball of wax, apparently all along. Thus, while the bile and invective are indeed Over-the-Top, now: D. needs to calmly assess the Über Führer mien and knee-jerk reactions of his fav cohort: in the immediate aftermath of such infantile actions as destroying [we don't know how reversibly] all 'historical presence' of, apparently not just a few erstwhile members.
Library Burning/ Hypatia's fate ... surely must be a part of D's zeitgeist and ought to be deemed Intolerable by someone of his umm, vocation? (fershure.. of his verbalizations to date.) If he leaves the vandalism uncorrected and the past data unrecoverable (for transport to some new venue) -- then he signals that he gets an F in sociology along with the arrogant techs and their Meister, his cohort. He shall be condoning the extreme behaviors noted -- apparently re-noted via a expanding ripple across the Webivorian cosmos.
IMO he needs to get educated about how that site was actually managed (whether or not, in retrospect he might have ordered otherwise, etc.) Some kind words about the Moderators' work having been indispensable to the daily operations would be a start. Only by realizing how little interest was shown by the T. Man all along (if indeed that be truthiness) -- can he appreciate the underlying tension twixt the daily toilers and their uncommunicative, claimed disdainful? 'manager'. Like corporate, say?
ie if this reply becomes D's only rejoinder, the mischief remains uncorrected, the deleted material gets eaten off the backups -- methinks he shall prolong the mondo Ill Will indefinitely, and the consequences may not be what he would wish, like all unpredictables.
Smart People doing Dumb Stuff; Movie at 11 and each hour overnight.
Sounds like a microcosm to moi..