Earlier quoted context omitted.
I see the same sort of thing constantly on HN and everywhere else. A poorly worded statement, misinterpreted out of context, spiraling the discussion out of control in some pointless, heated, and in some ways harmful direction. This is why the last few months I just stopped commenting here on HN, and quit a lot of other forums/communities. My communication skills just don't seem to be solid enough to help me avoid un…
Chris, I don't know how old you are or how many decades of experience you have with open discussions, particularly open technical discussions, but my advice is still simple, "Don't let it bother you because it doesn't really matter." Technical discussions can often be contentious, but often, they are contentious for the "right" reason, people care. When people actually care about building the "best" possible code, em…
Perhaps. There's also the fact that people are communicating via typed messages, which are signal-deficient. People may be using a language which is not their first language.
People do not follow Postel's Law: "be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept" - saving that flaming response to draft and sending a few hours later would help.
Some online communities have been entirely too content with flaming and have done little to stop it.
And, I say this gently, some people just don't have the social communication skills they need.
Sorry to hear about painful typing - that sucks.