I was recently a guest and visitor at a meeting of a local club where the owner of the club's accustomed meeting location was asking for an increase in the monthly meeting hall rental fee. Although I thought to myself that the group could probably support that increase, it seemed that many group members thought not. Therefore, a request was made by the group's president that members look around as best they could for an alternative site for future meetings.
At the following month's meeting, someone announced that they had found what might be such a site. However, when the particulars were recited for the membership, one man seated in the back took extreme and virulent exception.
With increasing loudness and stridency and seemingly all in one breath, that one man was calling out: "You don't know anything. You don't know anything. You don't know anything. You don't know anything. You don't know anything! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!!"
I think that I have very rarely seen such an ill mannered, boorish and obnoxious display. The honest effort of that one member was totally demeaned and in the ensuing meeting disruption, the suggestion for a new venue got lost.
These days, "Shout 'em down!", "Shut 'em up!", "Throw 'em out!" mentalities and behaviors regarding even the most innocuous of matters seem to be growing more commonplace.
I think we are in very serious trouble.