TakkU, abuse is abuse and I don't care why it came. I step in when I see it. For the record though, IMHO, the GP4 forum has been a cesspool of newb bashing for quite a while now. I have seen many instances of it in my time as a moderator.
Bigbrother, yes I noticed that, and actually did return to review my post, just to check if it was too harsh. I decided you would probably let me know if I stepped over the line. I meant the "you" in a plural, and not a specific singular sense.
Regarding the "new" sign, no I will not recommend it to the powers that be. Checking if someone is new here takes a click of the mouse and few seconds. It is hardly something that can be construed as a difficult task, or exceed the patience and consideration that any user here should be able to exert.
More general: Bashing newbs is about raising your sense of self, feeding your ego by demonstration your status at the expense of someone else. Call it psychic vampirism or leeching if you will. Fitting new people with a sign plays straight into the hands of the bashers, as they don't have the sign, and with their mere presence, without the sign, excude the status they covet.
Of course, such solutions for punctured egos are always short-lived and soon they will be looking for other venues to feast on, using the exact same tactics. With every action you take, you build the community of tommorrow. This is how harsh, cold and elitist communities develop, which often collapse on themselves because no one can stand them anyway.
That's not why I have been here and contributed since 2001.
It's only after we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything.