Pay for membership...it costs sweet fa. And while others whine about secret whatevers, i prefer to think of it as an investment to the site and in my case it has paid for itself 100 fold.
I haven't seen any bitching in the members area. I think some threads are there just to filter out the lower quality comments. Here's a sample of the top 10 topics in there right now :- 1. I Saw This At The Markets Today.... 2. WHAT CHEESES YOU OFF 3. Berkey Water Filters and other useful gear 4. Warning: Guardian Vault Access 5. The Idiocracy Thread 6. So this is why they call it "A Black Swan" 7. Animals and emotions 8. What did you do today 9. QOTD 10. Recipes Thread Absolutely nothing sinister, mischievous or malevolent in there AT ALL. If you're curious then pay the minuscule membership fee, but don't cast dispersions on it just because you're a tight arse.
but the non-member forum is full of fear mongering conspiracy so of course, the members section MUST be conspiring against everyone.
I don't think you'd find any of what you describe in the members' area. The only place I've seen negativity and bad behaviour is in the Current Affairs thread, which is open to all. I usually post matters of general discussion in the members area, since I have a theoretical framework which suggests to my topic assessments, that people who have signed up to Silver Stackers are a bit more committed to the free and open discussions that seem to be a hallmark of this forum. Passers by and lurkers who drop a comment may be contributing in their way, but a discussion in the members area is sure to be on topic, respectful and considered.