>Is something happening to the quality of this community lately? And if so, is there anything we can or should do about it? Yup. No way to collect data to back

>Is something happening to the quality of this community lately? And if so, is there anything we can or should do about it? Yup. No way to collect data to back it up, however. I do see more comments down-voted to the very bottom of threads lately. I don't think calling PG an ass is indicative of a loss in quality, however. It is indicative of abrasiveness. Is he an ass? What was the reason for calling him an ass? Was there evidence given that could substantiate the claim? I mean, maybe there is a good reason to call him an ass. The internet is kind of abrasive, people are more opinionated and bigger jerks than they are in real life. I don't think this is a bad thing, it helps to stimulate discussion. What we can do, as a community, is go through a checklist: What is the claim made? Is it a ridiculous claim? If it isn't ridiculous, is well substantiated? If it isn't substantiated, is it purposefully inflammatory? (The difference between stupid and malicious). Down-vote or up-vote accordingly. Anecdotally, I just read an entire thread about whether 'nice guys' finish first or last. No clue whether it would have happened 3 years ago, but it is a very shallow topic. I think the bigger issue is a proliferation of shallow discussions.