Of abusive behavior in programming communities
I completely agree with rjbs's opinion of online discourse. It is positively shameful how many communities are filled with insults, trolls, snark, and incivility.That said, I have some qualms with the proposed solution. In my experience, "patience, correction, explanation, and an outpouring of civilly-worded disapproval" are often not enough. Frequently, these methods do nothing more than increase stress and waste time.After reading Well-Kept Gardens Die By Pacifism[1], I am convinced that banning is vastly underused. Many of us are professionals. Our time is valuable; our communities, even more-so. There are so many fools with so many maladaptive behaviors. Considering what else we could be working on, correcting them all simply isn't worthwhile. The opportunity cost is too high.I wish this problem could be solved in a less forceful manner. Sadly, banning is the most effective solution I've found.1. http://lesswrong.com/lw/c1/wellkept_gardens_die_by_pacifism/