This has been a great thread and I have enjoyed each and every post: even those that were a bit, um, extreme. 
Forums can be used as a venue to discuss or debate issues. Often those who come mostly to debate, adopt a certain confrontational, or extreme, style as they want to 'win'. Those who wish to discuss those issues are often put off by their 'I am right' so you must be wrong attitude. Quite often, these debaters take their argument from thread, to thread, to thread and are viewed by many of us as POV (Point of View) Warriors. Of course, no one likes to be labeled, so rather than change their behavior of silting out the forums with the same message over and over and over again, they get even more aggressive, especially towards staff. When they get called on their aggression here, and even (oh the horrors) moderated, they will often start their own forum and/or Facebook group.
So I am clear. I love controversy. SB would be a dull, dull place without it. I love a vital, spirited discussion where differing approaches are discussed. I often come away from these challenged and they can even alter my view point. I love the fact that the typical SBer is head and shoulders above the average diver in terms of being safety conscious and concerned with my hot button: trim, buoyancy and propulsion. Some people are a bit quick to judge others and are more than willing to be a-holes in the process, but that's part and parcel on the interwebs. The mods try to keep things friendly but they aren't here to vet facts. In that regard, not all sub-forums are created equal. You can't be nearly as aggressive in the green forums as you can in the tech forums. BUT, if you do post something that is actually unsafe, you might find it removed.
Forums can be used as a venue to discuss or debate issues. Often those who come mostly to debate, adopt a certain confrontational, or extreme, style as they want to 'win'. Those who wish to discuss those issues are often put off by their 'I am right' so you must be wrong attitude. Quite often, these debaters take their argument from thread, to thread, to thread and are viewed by many of us as POV (Point of View) Warriors. Of course, no one likes to be labeled, so rather than change their behavior of silting out the forums with the same message over and over and over again, they get even more aggressive, especially towards staff. When they get called on their aggression here, and even (oh the horrors) moderated, they will often start their own forum and/or Facebook group.
So I am clear. I love controversy. SB would be a dull, dull place without it. I love a vital, spirited discussion where differing approaches are discussed. I often come away from these challenged and they can even alter my view point. I love the fact that the typical SBer is head and shoulders above the average diver in terms of being safety conscious and concerned with my hot button: trim, buoyancy and propulsion. Some people are a bit quick to judge others and are more than willing to be a-holes in the process, but that's part and parcel on the interwebs. The mods try to keep things friendly but they aren't here to vet facts. In that regard, not all sub-forums are created equal. You can't be nearly as aggressive in the green forums as you can in the tech forums. BUT, if you do post something that is actually unsafe, you might find it removed.
