We share the same views, but I can place myself in the shoes of others and think I can give an idea of why.
Overall, there seems to be really a sketchy boundary line that people can cross. You can debate on an issue with flames if you can keep it on topic, like how well the Israeli thread did until the religion stuff at the end.
But if you start taking things seriously in the thread and causing your opponent to retaliate back in angst, you will know this when the replies aren't related to the topic - this is where it seems to be a big no.
Remember the thread back in Dec. about Obama getting elected, and Af. Ameri's not agreeing with it? One user put out a pretty good and solid viewpoint. Sadly after the other guy provoked using well placed comments that hit their target dead on, the orig. dude launched a full offensive. I have to admit, the link for "anger management techniques" was a real good one, I couldn't stop laughing at that wisecrack. But he did use a verbal threat, and that's where it crossed the line.
I think for one the responses made back towards that person in general stuck with him like getting hit with a stinky poop bomb and the flies aren't going away even after you shoo them. Some people aren't very good with this coping mechanism, it varies from people to people.
I have never used the Ignore List either, For me personally I think its used when you can't handle the peer pressure and have to rely on a third party tool to temporarily do so. It is no different than having to go to an anger management course for that person particularily, yet you don't really learn anything from the class.
Some humans prefer the conception of people agreeing with them. I wouldn't say its attention garnering for the personalities that cherish that, since for everyone is different. It feels as if one day someone reads what others are saying, then they have to echo out what they say or "harp out" on an existing debate by agreeing with another, or fighting fire with fire -- Some of these types either or both can't handle it or never learned how to cope with it when they are under inspection. But they do it to gain respect in the first place, yet this isn't the correct method to do that.
Some are also hypersensitive. Anything that you say can set them off, its a "I'm going to tell on you" ball game that starts.
I also want to voice out something you did not include -- there's a word in german specifically for this, it's called Schadenfreude. This saying, in plain defined English is: delight in another person's misfortune. We have this in various forms over the board. Some people enjoy doing it yet they don't think twice before the other party responds.
Bad? Maybe, in a way, but the way I personally view everything is like a yinyang. The white energy's good, the negative energy is bad. Everything must cycle this way around. If we hypothetically all had agreeing people on the board only, that means every topic all people do is share the same view, the same Yes, yes! Yes! or No, no no! I can tell you that it would be very boring here. The same goes for the opposite, which is negative yang. If all we had here was everyone disagreeing with another (somewhat has been happening lately) then -- I'll leave that blank, you already know how it is. It just needs to be 50/50 in a way and I think all is fair.
