In my humble opinion, a great deal of the issues come down to simple laziness.  Someone reads a post that infuriates them for whatever reason and, rather than take the time to formulate a cogent counter argument, simply shoots a dagger at the offending writer.  It's quick and feels good for a few seconds, but doesn't really add to the overall discussion.

Still fun though!

I feel bad for trolls.  They used to be real characters, hanging out under bridges and haranguing passers-by.  Now their name has morphed into a mere description of unruly, intemperate writers.  How sad ...

Lotus 123 ~ S-Render ~ OS/2 WARP ~ IBM 8088 / 4.77 Mhz ~ Hercules Ultima graphics, Hitachi 10 MB HDD, 64K RAM, 12 in diagonal CRT Monitor (16 colors / 60 Hz refresh rate), 240 Watt PS, Dual 1.44 MB Floppies, 2 button mouse input device.  Beige horizontal case.  I don't display my unit.