Why is the snake oil topic closed?

It's the way of the world. Turns out we're not all the civilized after all. Too many people get off on being rude, offensive and attract like minded individuals. 

Everything's being viewed through a tribal lens. Polarization is preferred over connection. Contrarians seek the higher ground. Grudges held as a deed for intent to use another time. 

Has anyone noticed how this place has been getting closer and closer to a YouTube forum? This used to be a nice neighborhood. I noticed it a couple of years ago at other sites, usually related to audio mags, where in the comments section, there was an unfortunate amount of profanity and derision being bandied about. I've even seen casual profanity and unwelcome slang on watch sites. I expected car sites to attract the knuckle draggers but watch sites?

Forget my previous lament about the neighborhood: it's the whole planet. We're being dumbed down at an alarming pace. 

All the best,
Nonoise

...because tpreaves prayer was answered.

"Please God make it stop." - tpreaves  11-21-2017 3:46pm

Leastways, I hope so.

Forget my previous lament about the neighborhood: it’s the whole planet. We’re being dumbed down at an alarming pace.

To annihilate a thing so it cannot return or rebuild or know what it was and what was taken... is to annihilate the living memory of it, the social/cultural flow and the minds which can carry it.

What do you see happening in the west, in general, right now?

It's the oldest tactic in the book, being used on the internet/information era. Slow going, but it can still be done.

Maybe the moderators got tired of the wind bags telling people what they hear or don't hear based on their perceptions and pulled their soap boxes based on that.