I think these are related. The kind of people who like to comment on some things — say, politics — tend to be less tactful. This drags the average down. Then, u

I think these are related. The kind of people who like to comment on some things — say, politics — tend to be less tactful. This drags the average down. Then, unless you're very lucky, people readjust their norms and start acting ruder themselves — and then you have yourself a vicious circle. I've seen it happen in a lot of places. It makes me sad every time. I'd strongly suggesting policing OT posts more proactively. Like PG said in his essay about starting Hacker News, this is a social problem, not a technical one. We need to refrain from doing things that make jerks feel like this is the place for them.