Am I alone feeling this way? Do others (liberal or conservative) find it terribly aggravating . . .?

I don't find many things here worth getting worked up about. Sometimes a swarm of thumbdowns by an internet bank can be kind of annoying because they can thumb down your answer so much it can't be seen. Why even come here at all if you don't believe in free speech?

What I find *sad* is the all or nothing mentality of most people here. Issues are rarely all or nothing but if you dare to say there are merits on both sides of an argument, both sides hate you for not siding 100% on their side.

I agree with you 100%. It's a shame that a rational discussion can no longer happen in Yahoo Answers due to all the trolls.

That's part of why it's not beneficial to choose "sides."

But, only part. People who like to belong to groups, to feel they're on a team, tend to dumb down their thinking and lose track of objectivity.

In short, going "party line" every times, leads to lazy thinking, which makes people stupid.

And, also, makes them very easy to manipulate.

yes. of course. however, not everyone on your side (whichever it may be in any situation) can be smart enough to form a real argument. the trolls, well they're "job" is to annoy and aggravate- and they take their "work" seriously.

stereotypes exist for a reason......ignoring them is foolish.....i think what you may be referring to are people called @ssholes....

Those are trolls and evyone knows who and what they are

Don't even get me started...