Good advice I think
In the old days, people wanting to promote a POV generally needed to undertake serious research and then publish their findings in some form (that might be a research paper, a magazine article, a book, whatever). Then an unspecified number of peers would review that work, and the work either accepted, or rejected, depending on the veracity that peer review process concluded about the works involved.
Then there were what might be referred to as the casual conversations....the types that occur in the pub, or over the dinner table. Assertions made without any reall cross referencing or checks. p[eople tend to say anything in those conversations. They are unreferenced, uncorroborated startements of opinion, that cannot be verified, and just usually end up in an argument, unless the participants are of a like mind, or one or both particiapants are very tolerant.
The internet has changed all that. The "dinner table", the "pub", the "forum" is much larger, and people try to pass off written statements as well researched facts. The participants are far from the same or like minded. And, most of the participants are very opinionated. People come into this place for various reasons, and from different backgrounds and experiences, but most of us believe in the superiority of our knowledge. In the context of the wading pool that is our local environment, we are usually some of the best in that environment. we come into this place, and places like it, strong in the belief of our own convictions. But when confronted with other people, who are just as strong in their beliefs, which invariably are different to our own, trouble is in the making.
The environment does not lend itself to considered opinion or the exchange of ideas. But it does lend itself to challenging and offering different perspectiveto the beliefs that we as members tend to cling to. The forum is inherently confrontatioonal, and the mods would do well to take that into consideration as they manage the children so to speak. We all would. if you dont want an argument, dont get in the ring. I believe the line that should be drawn should be a line where the arguments leads to any or all of the following
1) Straight up insults, or flaming of the thread
2) Derailment from the original topic
3) Zero or low benefit to the foum members
4) Statements that are clearly or obviously political or racist(and dare I say it, overtly sexist) in intent
I too apologise for the many past transgressions to my own self imposed code of conduct.
And dont believe what you read on the Internet