That assumption of politeness and civility was well on its way out around 1998. That was the year I recall netnews turning into something resembling an open se

That assumption of politeness and civility was well on its way out around 1998. That was the year I recall netnews turning into something resembling an open sewer. By 1999, I had dropped off netnews completely. It had gone from a wonderful community of spaces for almost any topic imaginable, to a constant stream of trolling and porn.