And it's especially telling that this is not primarily a political discussion forum, but supposedly a place where people can come together to talk about anything they like, particularly science-related issues.

The situation is very reminiscint of pre-Civil War America (from what I've read, I'm not that old), when every discussion and conflict reduced itself into the two sides of the slavery issue.

Personally, I'd rather talk about something else, not because I don't have opinions on these issues, but because I come here for recreation, not to convince anyone or humiliate them in debate.