I don't think this is reactionary. I am still a fairly new user and hardly participate for various reasons, one being that I come here for the programming resou

I don't think this is reactionary. I am still a fairly new user and hardly participate for various reasons, one being that I come here for the programming resources because I just started learning to program. I'll preface what I think with this: I grew up with a computer since the early 90s. I used BBS's, and online communities since then. Internet culture always seemed to me to be very abusive, with very few exceptions. And as Dave says, there is a whole aspect of anonymity that makes people very comfortable when saying whatever they want, since they feel there will be no retribution. For me, HN is one of the better places when compared to other forums I visit, such as music ones (not the technical side of music, by the way). The one common problem I see is a user not giving another the benefit of the doubt. When I took an online course at university, the prof sent us a link regarding "Netiquette". It was actually very interesting. I can't find the exact one he sent the class, but it was something like this: http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/learner-support/communicating-online-netiquette/ http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/learner-support/communi... Anyway, one thing that stuck with me is asking genuine, courteous or friendly questions when you disagree with someone. There were many, many times when I would read someone's point of view which I thought were absolutely false. But I took the recommended route of asking a question to clear up some information. This is what I mean by giving the person the benefit of the doubt. I think a lot of people worry that all of this is a competition and everyone's out to prove they are right. It is difficult to admit one is wrong, I know. But those who are sometimes right go out of their way to try and humiliate others with snarky or sarcastic comments. I used to be exactly like that when I was a kid participating in online communities in the 90s. Then I read something Oscar Wilde wrote: One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards. It's pretty simple, but it works. You think you're right? Fine. But play nice. It may seem disingenuous, but ask questions which you think will lead the person to what you think is right. I've done it and many times the person knew something I didn't. Sometimes we were talking about different things. Sometimes I was right, but hey, at least the person learnt something new, and I learnt how to be a better person. And, of course, many times I was wrong, and I think to myself, "I'm glad I wasn't an asshole to him/her right off the bat". I think we would benefit from interacting with others online the way we would if we were talking to them in person.