I think that is due to the increasing internet population and to the fact that this site has been mentioned so often in the media.
I think there are some people, probably more than most of us think, that are purposely trying to coarsen our exchanges. These are people who are really liberals and/or internet trolls who don't really care about anything one way or the other, but they just love to stir a good simmering pot and sit back and watch the action.
And, then, there have always been idiots among us and as more people find our site, an unfortunate side effect is that our idiot population increases.
I think you are right about the trolls.
There are many companies which now do “viral advertising” for hire. We had the “giuliani storm” in recent history. We also have a few here who seem to post to blogs and file them under breaking or current news.
We also have libertarians and atheists who post here and stir up trouble just to see our reactins.
c-span suffers the same problem.
Yes, I had thought about the trolls deliberately stirring the stew. I’ve chatted nicely with a few of them until them imploded and were “banned”. You really can kill them with kindness. One fellow wanted for me to explain why I didn’t wish for my 9 year old to know what homosexuality was?
It can get heated in some of the religion threads - that’s something that people are passionate about. I don’t mind disagreeing. At times, the obvious intent of some who descent from each other is that they offend. That’s not the way to truth.
I had some fellow the other night tell me that I had no right to be offended by the VT halloween “jokesters”. In fact, they do have a right to be idiots and, yes, I am entitled to be offended by them.
I’ve come to the point with many of the idiots; that I am simply going to put them on a shun list.