Well, I do think that sometimes online communication can be as stressful as face-to-face disputes. At least in a face-to-face situation you know the other guy and can confront him directly. And there is a greater chance of resolving the issue.

The thing about online discussions is that encountering hostility can be a bit unnerving for new forum users because the whole interaction is faceless and there is no physical proximity... while this can make one feel safer, it can also lead to frustration when seemingly simple issues which one tackles over real life over a cup of tea cannot be taken up due to various constraints like political correctness, cultural misunderstandings, the limitations of textual communication etc. etc.

Dragineez, On one forum I was asked to leave by the moderator. His reasoning was correct because without my input, others could continue to lie to themselves and be comfortable in their delusions.

I left the second forum because I am just too old to deal with closed minds and overwhelming egos.

Both of these forums were about Oriental thought as seen through Western minds. Any contemplation of Oriental thought Has to be done through an understanding of Yin/Yang. Adult Human nature is adverse to abandoning what is already percieved and accepted and practiced. Anything new is wrongfully " forced " into an already perceived " cubbyhole ".

The more a person grasps the many, many weaknesses and hypocracies of human behavior the more humble and wise that person becomes. Such a person knows when discourse has become an effort in futility; and does the wise thing by accepting and respecting the right of the other mind to remain as closed and as delusional as it wants to.

Every Human Being is entitled to themselves, no matter what their level of understanding!!

Me and a few others started an off topic forum due to problems at a tractor forum we all frequented. It was a very closed atmosphere, so we set our new forum up as open as you can be. discussion / debate of politics are okay, but have gotten us into trouble. Sometimes it's hard to know you've passed that walk away point. There are those who try to bait and get certain folks fired up, and from that we came up with a saying:
Don't feed the trolls!
If you can resist that reply then they have nothing else to rant about, they'll get bored and move on, or stay in the background. Either way, problem solved. It sure does not always work that way, but it does help.