Have we lost civility and respect on Audio forums?

There are lots of friendly, helpful people on this forum. I enjoy it very much. Even the "nasty" discussions can be entertaining when you consider that whether a person can discern a difference in audio cables may not be a sound basis to judge their worth as a human being. That said, there seem to be common threads to the unpleasantness:

I can tell you what you hear, or don't, with your ears, your equipment, in your room

You asked a specific question which I'm going to ignore in order to answer a question you didn't ask

You have a $1000 budget so I'll suggest a $5000 component

No matter what the topic, I'm going to respond with the same opinion, relevant or not 

If someone has made a purchase or built a system that they are proud of, I'm going to tell them its junk-"midfi"- if it costs less than my system and that they are gullible suckers if their system costs more

I can express authoritative opinions about equipment I've never heard

If someone posts a question I consider unworthy, I'm not going to simply ignore it, I'm compelled to tell them their questions are dumb

Oh well, just my thoughts which may differ from yours, which is fine. In any event, I appreciate the useful information conveyed through this forum and the daily diversion from greater cares. Thanks to all who contribute.

I wish you all a joyous Holiday season filled with family, friends, and inspiring music.

These discussions are fascinating for their complete predictability. Anytime it's about cables, fuses, switches, the discussion is basically the same. Somebody takes the "scientific" view that they make no difference while someone else believes regardless of measurements a difference can be heard. In this case, whatever substantive points there are to be made were made days ago. 
 

one would think that would be the end of it, but there is something fascinating about the entirely emotional response This debate produces. The arc of the discussion is always the same . it always ends up at I'm right because my equipment is more expensive than yours or I'm right because I have read more articles about this than you  and then there are composition length posts that say the same thing over and over. After about two rounds of this, it's entirely pointless because there's nothing new to be said, and no one is going to change their mind. What I find interesting is why does this topic produce such an entirely emotional response? That would be an interesting study. After all, no one Can impose their view on anyone else. As long as people want to buy modestly priced cables, there will be someone to sell them and as long as people want to buy extremely expensive cables, there will be someone to sell them too. so, really, there is nothing at stake in this debate, there are no more real points to be made and at this point it has become little more than the primary antagonists hurling personal insults at one another. I'm not complaining, it's entertaining in the same way that a professional wrestling match provides some entertainment, but I just find it interesting that an esoteric topic produces such raw anger. Personally, I think cables can make a difference because I think I have heard the difference. But the gentleman who says otherwise is entitled to his opinion. even though he may be a bit haughty In his presentation, I don't think he has insulted anybody's mother, but  some of the responses suggest he has crossed some sort of emotional line. I suppose this discussion does at least start to answer the original question post by the OP

interesting.

aberyclark that is an excellent and an important point if anyone is really interested in civility. There are ways to express opinions in a nonconfrontational way. When I listen to higher end cables, I heard a difference. When I listened to higher end switches, I did not. I invested my money accordingly. That's what I heard. It doesn't mean that's what you heard. It doesn't mean that you'r equipment is better than mine and it doesn't mean that you' are smarter than me. It's just what I heard. 
 

with that said, I don't believe that this fellow Who doesn't see the value in high-end cables, is an existential threat to our way of life. I don't see any evidence that he is part of some "techno cult,"  seeking to do some great societal harm. it seems to me that he just doesn't believe there is any value to high-end Audio cables.  I can live with that.