I’ve noticed that there seems to be an emphasis on being extremely serious at all times, as if every single comment is a PhD dissertation being evaluated or something. There’s like this weird, subtle one upmanship about every little thing and a lot of people are very nitpicky and judgmental. It kind of takes the fun out of being on here, TBH. Or am I the only one experiencing this?
It may depend on the topic. In my interactions it’s generally seemed like nuance is appreciated, with some caveats.
Politics are a thornier subject. Starting from common ground, before moving to the area of disagreement helps. It’s important to know your audience and have some idea of how the community feels. I think my typical instance may have severed ties with the more firebrand instances, which probably limits hostility.
It’s not terribly different from tackling more sensitive subjects in person.