Lively, vigorous argument is a good thing in itself,
and won't drive away anyone who's worth keeping. We're not a
social club here, we're producing a product, and if a little
shouting helps that project, that's fine. What drives people
away is when they feel they aren't contributing. If they spend
more time arguing than writing, and the arguments don't actually
serve to improve the articles, then they feel their time is being
wasted.
So arguments here should be judged not on their belligerence,
but on their productivity. Is the argument truly seeking to
make a better article, or is it just arguing for the sake of
argument, or to push an agenda?
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