zer0netgain wrote:
I say ridicule.
From what I've gathered, people with valid ideas and hard evidence get shot down by the opposition shouting that they are insane, deluded, etc. Not wanting to be associated with the social pariahs, others avoid listening to those ideas.
It is especially a motivation in school settings, for an ongoing tactic. For kids, they don't want to be unpopular. And, yeah, it doesn't matter if ones argument is sound or weak. Popularity is all that matters; being accepted is what counts. Presenting an argument that has a disfavorable conclusion, whether the argument is unsound or sound, will decrease popularity. And for making a statement, with or without sound or unsound reasoning, as long as it is favorable, will increase popularity, generally.
On forums it's more of a discouragement. There is no necessary requirement to attend day by day. However, it is more preemptive in regard to censorship, in this way: say something which is unpopular, you get insulted. This tends to discourage the discussion of disfavorable ideas or ensures that only one side of a view will be posted more often than the other. Not such a complete block to expressing thoughts, but still an annoyance at times. Also, having things in writing helps to diffuse insults, as even the most nasty and vitriolic conglomeration of practically randomly ordered words look simply ludicrous in writing even though they convey more force when spoken.