I see that a lot of people in support of General being rid of are suggesting that you "get off of your butt" to go find people to roleplay or chat with, but... What's wrong with sitting on your character's pixelly behind and just talking? This is basically a 3D chatroom, and is even referred to as such on the front page. It's not fun running around in a humongous map searching for people, whispering people, or anything like that. Even making a party involves searching out people. I don't feel like being repetitive by mentioning things already mentioned before like "movies lag ragequit", so I won't.
However, I feel the need to point out that because this is basically a 3D chatroom, there will always be trolls, spammers, arguments, and inappropriate conversations. And as long as there is at least one chat that others can openly see, it will never change. I'm sure we're all aware of that and that ridding General was to bring it down a lot. But we're people, and that's really just the price you pay by talking on the internet. To solve the issues stated above to the best ability without angering a large chunk of the members could possibly just be to enforce blocking more. It is RIDICULOUS how many users on FH are against blocking! I actually think this angers me more than General being taken down, considering I don't always use it (especially in recent times). So many users claim they "counter troll" the trolls or they "feel guilty" about using the block button for its sole purpose: to save YOU from the stress of others bothering you! You don't need a good reason to block someone. If they make you mad because they're neon, block them. If they're talking about something in General that offends you, block them. It's the same concept!!!!!!!!!
Another thing could be to become just a bit more strict in kicking/banning for General chat, and make it loud and clear so no one is surprised and will hopefully realize that they can't just throw their manners and common sense in the trash when they decide to talk in that lovely foam-green chat which everyone can see. Perhaps even make it like on the forums so that unnecessary comments or faces aren't allowed as much so that the chat isn't quite as flooded, thus making advertising that much easier.
But I do agree that we (the users) should just wait a while before declaring a poll because as it is now (with it not even being a week), it's ridiculously obvious that everyone will be voting for General to come back, so that's virtually pointless. Wait a few weeks or months without it and then come to your conclusion. As human beings it's very hard to change your opinion because let's face it; everyone wants to stubbornly stick by their opinion and get their way.
Try not to be COMPLETELY negative about it because it's not changing for a while, and there isn't a darn thing you're going to do about it. So there's no point in stressing yourself about something (or protesting, which I have seen) out of your control. Try using the forums to advertise for a change, or maybe cut back a little and just talk with your friends. Experimenting with doing other things isn't completely bad. I myself have been in Ficho a lot more than I ever used to be. I often sit near the lake where many people gather. It's quite nice to talk with the other Pokemon-loving users, and it's a good place to find a filler RP to cure your boredom.