I agree with Gypsea, Santiago. I enjoy reading many of the posts (including your posts) and I learn much from them and enjoy the good will and information that comes from. I don't let negative, one-track-simplistic thinking and insulting language push my buttons (Ok, I do now and then, but for the most part I simply ignore these posts because I'm not learning anything from them). I read the many, many posts that are helpful and goodwilled and ignore the rest. As for negative/hostile versus positive/supportive comments on this board, to make you feel better, here's what the research suggests about postive/supportive versus negative/cynical thinking and behaving:
People who are repeatedly cynical or who like to find flaws without offering positive solutions and without being part of the solution tend to be rated lower by their managers and tend to be promoted less and paid less (And it's not because the employers don't want to hear bad news. It's because decision-makers need more complex thinking and can-do people rather than complainers. It's probably also related to the fact that employers know that cynics tend to put people off and employers need people who are team builders and who draw people toward them and the organization, not push them away.)
People who feel and express positive emotions tend to be more productive, get promoted more, and get paid more. They also tend to be healthier, happier, and have longer lives than people who feel and repeatedly express negative emotions (this is based on decades of solid academic and medical research -- of course it doesn't hold true for everyone, but the trends are supported). People who express positive emotions tend to set higher goals (it's hard to set high goals if you assume things will turn out badly), think in more complex ways and build on the ideas of others (positive emotions "broaden and build" whereas negative emotions "narrow and tear down -- stereotyping, for example, can be seen as narrow thinking caused by negative emotions), give and draw support from other people rather than cause people to avoid them -- which makes them more valuable employees. People who express positive emotions don't avoid negative information, but they don't let it dominate their thinking and they are better able to get support for their solutions (which contributes to their success). People who feel and express positive emotions tend to deal better with stress and tend to be more resilient. They also have a lower incidence of Alzheimers (positive emotions and complex thinking seem to have a protective effect even if the brain shows physical damage similar to that which leads to Alzheimers). People who are hostile have a higher risk of heart disease as well.
Here's a good summary of the research on positive versus negative emotions and their consequences on effectiveness, success, health, happiness, and longevity:
http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/hopesprings.htm?name=health+and+safety&type=subject
In short, Santiago, my point is that I hope you stay on this board enjoy the many goodwilled and thoughtful posts on this message board (There are probably 50 positive/supportive posts to every negative/cynical/insulting post), contribute as you always have, and ignore the few posts/posters that are negative and one-track-thinking. Too much negative energy (as you pointed out) isn't good for you, and there's ample research that it's not good for the negative thinker/hostile person/cynic either.
Sorry, SJ, I just couldn't help responding to Santiago's comment even though it's not really part of this thread... It would be too bad to lose Santiago!