Should mass deletion of one's own posts be permitted?

I don't think so. It's hard to let something go once you're in the cycle of petty bickering and defense.

More than enough has been said, and deleting it makes it easy to take a break.

You weren't finished your popcorn?

I've just choked on it, Linda. You actually replied to me. Strange times indeed.

[Ninshub]

My initial preference, IF I voted/vote, was/would be option 3, and it still feels like the most reasonable option to me. However, hearing the people who are against any No response feel so strongly about it and that they potentially interpret it like an authoritarian move doesn't sit well with me - I surely wouldn't want something like this to cause some members to think about leaving (that doesn't mean you guys & gals should interpret this as an invitation to emotional blackmailing!) -, I'm now more inclined to vote option 2, against my own preference.

But that's if I vote. We'll see how the votes tally up.

Not to stir the pot more needlessly, but I'm definitely of the mind that regardless whether Max ticks the box or no, he's made his vote in this thread clear, and it should count as a vote towards No. 2.

If an individual B quotes individual A’s post in a reply, the ownership is moot, and there is clearly little point in deleting A’s original post. Maybe we should only be able to delete posts that haven’t been quoted? This would help maintain the overall integrity of a given thread...

I don't even get how this vote is supposed to settle anything as the votes are so low.

Also I think something IRL distracted me from scrolling down to my usual section and that's why I even saw the vote.

Seems crazy to make decisions like this?

Like Max said, the whole thread seems to have been a bad idea best forgotten..

[Laird]

I'm getting the impression that Laird was up for over 40 hours.

I lost track, but I think it was over 24 [ETA: piecing it together from various bits of data, it seems to have been about 30]. I fairly regularly pull caffeine-induced all-nighters like that; this is just the first time anybody's noticed and commented on it. Often, they're useful for getting a bunch of productive coding done - and I did get some coding done last night. More generally, they're just the outcome of my habitually excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks - a habit which has a semi-complex(?) set of reasons behind it. Thanks for your concern, guys, but from my perspective, it's not necessary. I would prefer to ditch the habit and return to regular hours, but it doesn't otherwise cause me any problems.

And Linda, apologies for being so harsh on you.

[Laird]

Also, just to respond to one point in your deleted post, Linda: yes, you're right, I was a little obtuse re Max's position; he had explained himself.

Not  to stir the pot more needlessly, but I'm definitely of the mind that regardless whether Max ticks the box or no, he's made his vote in this thread clear, and it should count as a vote towards No. 2.

Absolutely NOT. 

If he doesn’t actually vote ON PRINCIPLE that’s HIS CHOICE.

I feel very strongly about THIS!

Shouldn't Max's vote be counted given he's clearly expressed his opinion?

Perhaps we should have a vote on whether or not Max's vote should be counted even if he doesn't participate in the poll?

I'm now more inclined to vote option 2, against my own preference.

I really don’t understand this. 
A choice is either your preference or it’s not. If you’re truly voting AGAINST your own preference you’re muddying the water imo.
If this were a choice involving say personally making money and others suffering as a consequence, or if you thought some or most of the people voting were not capable of seeing the whole picture or something like that then I might agree. But from what you’ve said, I think your decision would be made on how others think, but all of us here are surely equal and capable of independent thought. So in this case, I think any vote must be about how you feel, not how others feel. If we all started overthinking things, we’d never know what people truly felt/thought.

Maybe you think it’s ego vs spirit making the choice, but do you know for sure which is which? 

I am saying this NOT because you have stated how you would vote. Actually I’m quite satisfied with the poll’s results so far. I thought that Yes might be a runaway winner. Of course it’s your decision, but I hope that you read this and think about it.

Shouldn't Max's vote be counted given he's clearly expressed his opinion?

Perhaps we should have a vote on whether or not Max's vote should be counted even if he doesn't participate in the poll?

Yes, maybe we should, but before we can...

...let’s also have a vote on whether we should have a vote.