@jalyst,

I fully agree (... to Dave! ).

Actually, the users on this thread and others at TMO have proven to moderate themselves quite well (one of the reasons why I enjoy the conversations on TMO so much).

It is rather calling for a moderator instead of kindly asking to cease an overly off-topic / political discussion first (e.g. as @mosen did, which successfully ended discussing the original rant and its single harsh reply), which I perceive as disturbing.

As long as a conversation is apparently fruitful (technically, intellectually or in any other way) for the majority of participants, IMO there is no reason to call "the police"; otherwise we may end up in defunct conversations due to the enforced use of "politically correct" language (as @Dave999 depicted).

P.S.: ... or discuss StarWars analogies.