Disagreements and Conflicts between Audiophiles have we lost our brotherhood and maturity?

Calvin

You obsesses over this stuff to much.  
The Internet tends to promote some online rudeness.  It isn’t unique to audiophilia. And then yes, audiophiles tend to be imo a bit grumpy.  We like to sit and listen and this tends to be a solitary activity that doesn’t welcome interruptions.

There is a lot of subjectivity -I think A sounds better than B- which tends to promote unresolvable bickering .  And there tends to be a lot of envy in terms of the levels that people can spend.

   Given all of the above this is a reasonably civil site.

   Personally I thank you for dropping the all caps in your thread titles.  All caps tend to fire my adrenal glands

+1  @whart 

The reason I joined was to ask hobbyists about things that they would know but others wouldn't -- typically technical questions about all things audio. I've gotten a lot of great answers here, and a number of threads I've started have had long and involved discussions delving into the parameters of different questions. Other threads have done this, too.

One amazing thread I remember had to do with my discovery that my to-be audio room had reversed polarity on the outlets. Several very knowledgeable folks here (almarg, RIP) had me checking outlets with a multimeter, reporting back, etc. and they helped me troubleshoot and solve that situation. A perfect use for a hobbyist forum. Another thread was about setting up my room, short-wall vs. long-wall. Again, the exchanges were iterative and constructive, and the hobbyists on the thread were drawing on long experience and relaying it to me, 

Threads that focus on specific brands are more likely to devolve into chest-beating contests and get nasty. Or, threads that involve people describing what something sounds like -- but without much control over variables necessary to figure out why things sound that way. 

I think it’s a combination of the internet allowing everyone a platform to fearlessly showcase their insecurities combined with the ability to comb through forums and regurgitate other’s opinions.  Often people have zero experience with the products they’re discussing, i.e. “Klipsch speakers are to harsh…” and when challenged, take it as some personal offense that has more to do with their childhood than the product they’re discussing.

There is a coarsening in our American culture. Rude, crude, selfish, crass and obnoxious is more and more commonplace today than when my old arse got into the hobby in 1978. 

There is also a lack of shame. Acting badly is no longer shamed or ashamed of. 

Then there is the polarity of politics. Just the mention of a certain name makes the mentally unstable launch into a hissy fit. 

It's not the hobby or the prices IMO- it's the rotten culture we suffer under. 

Personally, I can’t blame the internet for a person’s lack of civility, integrity, character or common curtesy to their fellow man. The internet just exposes who they really are... One thing I know for sure is that the same behaviors eventually transfer to their everyday life. They are no different than the people keying Tesla vehicles. I’ve run into a few interesting people on this forum. Unfortunately, they won’t leave and keep repeating the same behaviors. In my case, I asked one person to leave the forum after he attacked another member. Even though he is a longtime member, he continues to treat people poorly over and over again.