Pacific - it is fascinating. You can have a thread with 30 responses all saying the same thing then AF posts and says the same thing which is followed by lots of 'I agree with AF' posts not 'I agree with PP'.
And the people who think AF not posting on a thread means it's probably a troll. Plus all the 'I imagine AF is.., had a dream about AF. ..whenever I'm faced with a situation I think 'what would AF do?, it should be printed on mugs and tonnes of MNetters would buy'.
There was a deleted horrible thread a few months ago which was started by someone basically saying they hated her and there were many supportive posts but a few which were a bit ...odd but I hesitate to use that word as I don't want to minimise how people feel but one example post said 'I would give my life for AF'. I think that's an incredible thing to say about someone you don't know and testament to the emotion she appears to create.
It is fascinating that someone on an anonymous forum appears to have so much power in influencing people's responses and their lives, in many cases. And not just in a 'I got great advice" way but an 'I got advice from AF which must be correct/superior because it's AF' way.
And this is not any kind of criticism of AF and I've never thought she encourages this adulation nor have I ever seen her thinking that her opinions/views are more valid than others nor using her 'status' to influence others. It's a phenomenon not of her creation and has a life of it's own.
Sorry AF seeming to 'talk' about you as of you're not here!, I know you're here but it really fascinates me!.