I agree with what you're saying, it's tough, and more tough than is necessary. It's hard to see how it can be "fixed" but I do think that the more social it get

I agree with what you're saying, it's tough, and more tough than is necessary. It's hard to see how it can be "fixed" but I do think that the more social it gets and the more we begin to recognize each other even in the more relatively anonymous forums like HN the more civil and easygoing it gets. Plus, doesn't it seem that online culture is growing up? Even if very slowly? But we'll never quite shake the fact that all of us come from different perspectives. We don't often talk about what I think is one of the most different of them all...AGE :-) Hacker forums will always have a percentage of pimply-faced 14 year olds, idealistic 21 year olds, cynical 36 year olds (me) and smug 45 year olds, and chilled out 55 year olds :-D (Please don't aim all those big guns at me, I'm way over-generalizing and having fun at the same time, just to make a point: Age is a factor :-)