Everything can drive people away these days. Either admins try to micromanage behavior of everybody to keep it nice and clean, or just let it run like chaotic village, as Elon is doing (and fails at it). Among 10 forums or online groups that I'm even a "veteran member", I only feel free to write my uncensored opinion in just 3 of them. And it was yesterday. Today is 2, cause another one banned me.
As someone from the depths of third world I see western people take personal attack too seriously, to the point that now everything can be personal atack. Since the days I was 15 I've been a active "hot take" user in a lot of social networks and forums popular in my country, and I don't remember a single day without being the target of verbal personal attacks. But its ok, and sometimes fun. Some of my long time online friends who helped me alot in a vast range of technical and personal issues, are the ones who actively engaged in our mutual habit of insulting each other. Our culture has a mich higher tolerance for that. I'm not saying its good. I'm saying its natural. We're spending too much time and effort to create safe spaces, but its a forever war. It will never be safe enough. Why not make individuals less fragile? There was a polymath in my country, four hundred years ago I think, I forgot the guy's name.. who was interested to join peasant gatherings in poor neighborhoods of the city. Imagine a place like an irish pub, but with middle east culture. One day a group of his students criticized this almost weekly routine and said to the man these people are a bunch uneducated low life idiots who can't talk about anything without using filthy words, why you, a wise man with high social status let yourself be seen assoiciated with them? Its not good for your reputation and your mental health. Stop it. He said: I'm diamond and they're glass. I have effect on them, but they have no effect on me.
Sorry that I made it a bit philosophical 😂