why do so many discussions turn contentious?

@dabel....+1, and thanks for noticing.... ;)

I'll apologize and beg pardons from the 'collective' for being more than a tad wry in my obscure fashion, but some threads....
...just  nearly beg for the 'cooler of Gatorade' Rx...
...but it dries 'sticky' (I personally don't like any Gatorade a'tall) so just a jive jibe might bring relief....*shrug*

Jury's still out, imho....

3EZpymts has it down; "One Company To Bind Them" would be the answer for some, but would make the whole of AG superfluous....with the exception of ones' personal listening environment....and make for a socialist hell of an audio nature.

I'd rather read us arguing, frankly.  It keeps 'it' lively, one learns who leans towards what, or opting for diplomacy, keyboard kombat, or just just watching the fur fly.

But, I'm just weird that way, and c'est la vie....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OeiYxdteTQ

Ignoring trolls is good advice but that alone doesn’t solve the problem of losing new/prospective members who are turned off by the prevalent bickering and posturing.

Disagreements and opposing opinions can be important catalysts to introducing new ideas and learning new stuff. If only folks could state their opinions and then get out of the way and let others do the same, without trying to prove they are smarter, more experienced, or have a monopoly on the one true path. The train is off the rails when those with opposing opinions are accused of having poor hearing, inferior systems, poor critical listening skills, an inability to understand science, or any of the other worn out ad hominem arguments we see here too often. More active moderation might help, or possibly moving contentious threads to a separate forum where more aggressive debates are tolerated. Ideally, those who want to aggressively argue their points would start their own threads specifically intended for those who want to debate a certain issue. OTOH, if somebody starts a thread with the words “snake oil” in the topic, nobody should be surprised if the arguments turn contentious.

@mitch2 

And quite noticeable that things have cooled off around here of late since one particular individual with the very personality traits you mention seems to have gone back under its bridge for a while...curious dat !

Tea for the Tillerman, Turd for the Troll

@Tsushima1 astute observation 

You mean "jerks", like the kind that would run around with "Im a doctor and voted for Biden" pasted on their forehead?