[quote=Magic Magnum]You must of had very obedient roleplaying friends though if you honestly think that. People aren't always going to get along just because you try to act as a mediator, conflict can happen and often times a third party like a GM getting involved only escalates it.[/quote]
Or maybe I approach people as individuals. I've dealt with a number of issues, and the only real issues I've had with inter-player conflicts were when I wasn't around. Maybe I've been lucky with my roleplayers, or maybe I've simply not put up with bullshit as much. Maybe I can approach people and call them on their actions without making them go into instant-defence. I don't know (that's a lie, I do). Most people are reasonable. Most people can be worked with. Understand that people come to RP, most of them do so to escape, others do so as a creative effort. Once you understand motivations, you can cater to them. Trick is you need to anticipate and observe. You need some knowledge. And yes. If you lack that, a few bad behaviours can kill your roleplay off mercilessly. And yeah, actually having decent people management skills is tricky, most people don't know what GM'ing entails. Here's a hint though, which you will hear from every GM of long-standing RP's; it survives because of the group being connected. 

[quote]You're right in that one shit storm can kill an RP, but that doesn't make you the Roleplayers parent. Nor does it mean that they need one.[/quote]
People management doesn't mean acting like a parent either. That's a very sad way of looking at it, or plain and simple ignorance. Know how I approach pretty much any conflict? It goes like this; "Hey mate, got a minute?" I approach people as equals and rather than telling them they are bad and should feel bad, I explain the behaviour and the effect, and the context if needed. I'm not approaching it as if they made a mistake for which they have to repent, I approach it like they missed something. I resort to authoritative measures if I have to, or if people are uncooperative. But really, like mentioned before, most people just want to indulge in escapism and/or write a fun story. They want things to be fun and without conflict and as soon as you realise that, the sooner you can work with it.

[quote] An RP's survival is not simply the result of a good GM, it's a result of group effort. The GM could do everything bad and it still falls apart because players don't get along. A GM could do everything wrong and it still lasts because the players learn to get the RP moving regardless of (or without) the GM.[/quote]

Sure, a RP can live even though they're a bad GM, because the GM is not the only factor that determines the RP. But regardless your statement is incredibly, incredibly stupid, because the way you phrase it you suggest the GM-factor is negligible, which it is not. The GM is a very important factor and you need a lot of work put into it by other players, taking over certain GM-duties one way or another, to offset a bad GM. It's possible, but it sure as hell is a lot fucking harder. It's the difference between rolling over a combined number of 4 with one or two d6's. You can do it with one, but it's harder. 

[quote]Can you solve some issues by intervening quickly? Yes, but that doesn't mean that is a GM's constant job. If a GM is always butting into other people's conflicts as if they're the dictator of all conflict or issues you're only piss people off because you're essentially removing their own ability to act and think for themselves. Good intentions or not, GM's who try too hard to dictate or control how players act are the one's who eventually get players walking out on them because they're being to controlling.[/quote]
You don't understand that you don't always rule in one's favour and condemn the other. Half the time you can work it out by consensus, and if not usually some sort of compromise is possible. This view you have is very narrow-minded. You associate dictator-ship with malevolence and not listening to others. Every time someone complains. That's not the definition of dictatorship. It means you make all the decisions, but not what your decisions entail or how they are made. 

Honestly, at the risk of being called out for using the argument of authority; have you ever lead a successful RP? I have several, with different people. I failed a few times, sure, but I was able to identify what I could have done and learned from it. Not once I went "but waaah the people!" Some persons are harder to work with than others, sure. RP'ing is a numbers game also (hence the importance of writing a good interest check) but all these are factors you can influence. Denying this limits your growth as a GM. By telling people this you're limiting them also, just because you can't see past your pessimistic attitude. If you want to be a successful GM, you need to think in terms of solutions. If something doesn't work, analyse why and what you could do different. 

tl;dr, be an engineer.

Feeding your quitter attitude to others, on the other hand, makes me want to slap you. Because seriously, fuck that noise. You're potentially ruining my future RP's.

[quote]Like you said, people adapt to their environment. Especially if they want to fit in, which only helps to highlight people are capable of resolving issues without constant GM interference. Or if you treat them like children that need to be controlled that's exactly what you'll get, rowdy children.[/quote]
GM interference when necessary =/= constant interference. You can't think I'd constantly be playing police. Then I'd have to admit to your parent-metaphor.