IMHO, this place is just a microcosm or mirror of society at large. The outside world is increasingly polarized, too, with both sides completely unable to hear the other.
Passionate discussion is one thing and can be good - gets the blood moving :lol:, hones the arguments, and such. But too quickly it devolves into name-calling, mud-slinging, finger-pointing, vitriolic attacks. The issues end up getting lost in the acrimony, and it's a shame.
I don't know what the solution is (except for everyone sit down, shut up, and chill out when things get too heated, or have the self control to stick to the issues and not get personal) but to be honest, I'm not hopeful it will get solved.
I've seen board after board go up in flames like this - it comes and goes, but each time another group of valuable posters leaves because they just get sick of the BS, and they often aren't replaced, or are replaced with people less interesting and articulate than they are.
We all have something to learn from each other no matter how ferociously we disagree. The question is, can we keep from killing each other long enough to learn it?
Just my $.02.
LQ
Worth much more than .02!