When all discussion happens in the open it's easy to get caught in a bad day. This applies to people as disparate as RMS, Linus Torvalds or Steve Jobs. You can find plenty of anecdotes of how rude or arrogant they are specially after so many years. They have been leaders for decades.

What people would think of us if we were famous? I try to be very polite and reasonable at work but I know, for a fact, that I'm not always at my best. The alternative is easy: you start to talk like a big corp CEO or a politician. You say nothing or give pleasant lies. Your acts may be later despicable but somehow facts are open to interpretation while your words carry all the weight.