If you think the Internet is as safe and controlled as a shopping mall, you probably should be reading Krebs on Security more.

People tend to move towards the more mall-like areas of the Internet due to spam and abuse that they don't want to deal with. This can be low-level stuff, or (as in the cases of Kreb himeself) sometimes the attackers get out the big guns, and you need to run for cover.

And that's why we're hanging out here, after all, and not in some unmoderated forum. And even here, post on certain subjects and conversation quickly degenerates.

I think we do need a wider variety of spaces to hang out, though. No set of rules works for everyone. And if you do want 4chan, you know where to find it.