Gut check for the In Box

I’ll be honest: I was hoping that after the special election wound down, the In Box comment section would lose some of the hysterical and nasty tone.

It hasn’t happened. We have half a dozen contributors who seem incapable of discussing issues without trying to score cheap points and make personal digs.

Some of it’s been really nasty. I’ve been hearing from smart, interesting, open-minded folks who are “quitting” the In Box because so much of the conversation is just adolescent.

So I’m looking for thoughts and suggestions. Is the tone here too toxic? Should we require contributors to register?

Is it a good idea to have a comment section at all?

Ironically, I especially want to hear from those of you who are screwing this up.

If you’re one of the folks who lives to flame, take a second to talk about how this “community” can survive your particular mindset.

Is there a way we can convince you to knock off the ugliness? Or is that the allure?

I also want to hear from the many “good citizens” who participate here regularly. Are you being blown out of the water? Turned off? Or am I just being too thin-skinned for the blogging age?