I would caution against hyper-simplifying the combativeness of the mailing lists as "cultural differences". I can think of several German participants on Slack and Discord that dispel this stereotype. Similarly, I can think of several American commenters who are notoriously abrasive on the mailing lists. Some have suggested that "open source absolutists" as a group are the issue. However, we don't seem to have the same complaints about the new Discourse community forum. Other explanations I've heard suggest that real-time chat, moderation, and emoji reactions make for a more collaborative atmosphere for some reason. I don't have the answer, but I think this thread highlights that there are very real differences in the various communication spaces that are worth exploring. I welcome any effort to learn more about how we can maximize people's willingness to participate in the project. If a meaningful demographic is repeatedly saying that people's behaviors in communication spaces are reducing participation, I don't think that should be dismissed or hand-waved away with simple explanations. Unlike others apparently, I don't especially care who does that research. If the data, analysis, or methodology are bad or opaque then that will speak for itself. In the meantime, I assume good faith and await what the people willing to get their hands dirty and work on the problem have to say.
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