Hostile environment towards new users

Without pointing fingers or naming names, a lot of users on this site are hell-bent on driving new users like myself away. I disagreed with some other users' opinions concerning hunting, GM crops, and pesticides and the shit hit the fan. Almost instantly I was accused by several users of being a troll, and threatened with a ban by one of them (I was not aware how the jury system worked at the time). I foolishly tried to explain my views instead of just dropping it. This attracted more flaming and personal attacks from other users. Some tried to insist that I was a hardcore red state Republican and that I was spewing conservative talking points. I tried to rebut these claims but was flamed even more. I even deleted some of my controversial posts and another user responded by calling me a coward, because he knew it would piss me off.

With this kind of infighting this site will not grow. I sometimes preach about my liberal views on a hardcore Teabagger Republican forum and I actually receive a warmer welcome than I do here. This is what makes the difference between a healthy forum full of progressive ideas and a bunch of cranky old users who pat each other on the back while driving away newbies.