It indeed is unfortunate that harassment is so commonplace in many online communities. Hopefully, as these communities mature, harassment will be less common. What's fascinating about some online environments is that they are designed so you can "have it your way." If someone offends you, you can turn them off (as in a "mute" command). My guess is that future online communities will have a variety of ways in which you can shape the social environment to be the way you prefer it to be.