Yes, and it should be the standard response to assume new posters have pure motives, whatever the content of their post may reveal about intent. If they don't, it will become obvious soon enough.Agreed, there will always be the occasional person with a personal agenda of some kind. As you say they can generally be identified and the mods will sort that out soon enough.
(Again, recognizing the difference between motive and intent. One can be found guilty in court based on intent, but this is not a court of law.)
But I want to explore a different facet of the OP's plea: This forum enjoys unprecedented support from industry insiders, journalists, manufacturers, and established experts. But will those pros hang around if ASR develops a reputation for hostility? If the ASR point of view has data to back it up, we simply don't need hostility, however many times a new person brings up a shibboleth.
I was for a very long time an active member of the rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup, and the more technical Hardcore Bicycle Science mail list. As with any human pursuit, what makes a person good at pursuing it may not require expertise in the apparatus that person uses, but because of the close connection between skill and apparatus, the user may believe stuff that the expert knows not to be true. Ask Frank Dernie about his interactions with drivers for examples of what I mean. But those people are the customers of the pros who bestow their expertise on this forum, and cannot be seen to participate where their customers are being attacked. It seems to me ASR must avoid that.
When one has data, one does not need assertion. And there is no place in science for tribalism.
Rick "respectfully submitted" Denney