Personal attacks on people holding positions which we do not agree with are a drag, but there's no way of stopping them; some people seem to enjoy doing that, normally anonymously. Presumably that's part of the fun.

Does anybody think they are doing anything at all to encourage people to come down on their side in an argument? My feeling is that it's entirelyt the other way - if you are unsure about some issue, anonymous flames tend to make you sway towards the side of the person under attack.

But I imagine the idea is actually to try to bully people into shutting up.