Moving away from the idea of this forum, and toward the general concept of social regulation and how it's reflected online:
Community standards are constant social regulators, whether it's the neighborhood you live in, the faith you follow or the social expectations of your life's network. You offend your community, and they turn you away. Act like a Jerk, and when you're in need, you have no friends. Then you have official social regulators - courts, law officers, clergy, elders. Usually they only get involved when dealing with people who are incapable of acting civilized - official rules are for people who can't play nice. You can live in a country that truly supports free speech, it's still fair to make death threats, harassment and slander illegal.
Freedom doesn't suggest a lack of civilized standards. Without laws, standards, regulators and adherence, we are totally without freedom, imprisoned by anarchy. Ultimately the laws should protect our right to live as we choose, without insults and interference from those that make different choices.
The internet is no different, it's an accurate reflection of the constructs we already have. People form communities, and over time a standard evolves. Break the standard, and those charged by the founders as "elders" can turn you away. Or you can just find that others won't engage you. Get totally out of hand and the police and law suites get involved.
The only real difference is that more people feel comfortable joining the Theatre of Hate online because they don't have to look another human being in the eye as they choose to compose awful things.
Interesting article - Hate On The Internet
http://www.media-awareness.ca/englis...n_internet.cfm
Good discussion:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5yuAre2hoE"]YouTube- Michael Coren Show discusses "hate" on the internet.[/ame]