The people with the most caustic and abrasive on-line behaviors are generally the sort of people with horrible inferiority complexes. I think the difference here is that most (if not all) of the members are mature enough and self-aware enough to know both their own abilities and their own limitations. I think the men (and women) here have the good sense to understand that their self worth (and the worth of others) is not measured by how adept they are at putting others down, or by their level of experience or depth of knowledge about a particular subject. People have worth because they are people.

Having said that. There are plenty of smart asses on this forum. The difference between the smart asses here and the smart asses elswhere is that our smart asses are able to be smart assed without insulting others. That's pretty smart for a smart ass.