NY Mom, EVERY controversial topic will offend those looking to be offended. The need to get at the truth requires us to put our personal feelings aside and analyze the issue dispassionately. If we allow this topic to be “Third-Railed”, it will cast a pall on discussion of ANY controversial topic for fear of offending those who are easily offended. No more discussions about kollel vs. working, drinking, college, chassidus, hisnagdus, cholov yisroel, tznius, etc. All we’ll be left with is the “Post here to show you’re in the CR” thread, which probably suits some fine. However, I always viewed the intellectual aspect of the Coffee Room, not the social aspect, as its strong suit. A gutted, milquetoast Coffee Room where you can only smile and nod politely, and have to walk on eggshells for fear of offending someone who thinks differently is not my idea of a Coffee Room.
It looks like the consensus is to cloture this topic, and thus the mods will close it. But the Coffee Room is worse off for it. A bad precedent will have been established, as discussions start to get tabled for fear of offending.