I had been drifting around the Cellar for a long time before I joined, and by that time I was sufficiently cowed. I had watched several flamefests between MaggieL and jaguar. I usually added on pithy comments onto the Image of the Day, rarely stated any really strong opinions.
I didn't actually get actively into posting until I went elsewhere, a small little
forum that some people I knew visited. It was there that I got into posting actively, maybe two posts a day. Tragically, some newbies came and ruined the neighborhood, but I had developed the confidence to post here.
I still haven't gotten into a real flamefest, alas. I don't hold ludicrously strong opinions on Gun Control or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that might not be all of it.I think that most flamefests on the Cellar occur when someone goes too far, beyond what is supported by the facts. I also haven't posted many threads on my own, and the one that I posted because it was something that I cared about... no one replied to.