I do feel that this situation has been very damaging to public perceptions of PSF, although not Python as a language. When the news of Tims ban broke out the reaction in comments on Register and such was what even I would call … excessive.
That being said, I agree with some of the push back.
I do not dispute need for moderation, nor do I think that it’s an easy job. After all, humans have been dealing with the question of what is polite, proper or honorable for all of our recorded history. So it’s not an easy thing. Not something we can solve here, and certainly not something a single post will ever be able to conclude.
But I do think that in this case the situation wasn’t handled properly and that it sends a very concerning message. It certainly doesn’t make me very convinced about the fairness of the guidelines, nor their enforcement.
We may have to accept that any solution will either offend or curtail someone. But that doesn’t make me feel any better about this.
Edit:
In my opinion, this point by Tim is one of the most problematic:
However, Aug 8 is also the last time I heard from the SC. They haven’t replied to anything I sent to them since. I’m apparently ghosted for the duration.