I have said it a few times, part of the goal here is to not have active moderation by assigned people. To truly have the membership build the community they want.
Cesspools can be amusing to read from time to time, but if the software here works as intended, and the place gets enough activity, the MEMBERSHIP will be the ones who will not let that happen. From the FAQ:
When you see bad behavior, don’t reply. It encourages the bad behavior by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. Just flag it. If enough flags accrue, action will be taken, either automatically or by moderator intervention.
So while debate and contentious arguments are good, and an essential part of DISCOURSE, getting TOO personal in your arguments could have negative consequences for you, as decided by the membership. And it could happen just because the membership agrees, without need of a single moderator making the call.
Have fun, speak your mind, help to build this place into the community YOU want it to be, and we could eventually have something special.