Ridicule was more fun when the objects of ridicule were still here, but the threads were constanly being pulled.
The mods started a thread to see who was causing the flame wars, and it turned out to be the creationists. About a dozen went down in flames after cursing Jim Robinson.
If you don't want to be ridiculed, the best policy is not to say stupid stuff in the first place, and if you do happen to say something that is incorrect, admit it.
How much intelligence does it take, for example, to notice that a suntan is not equivalent to evolution? How much pride do you have to swallow to admit it isn't a good line of argument?