I have to disagree on that one. While a community like perlmonks (or any other) does indeed need members to serve as devil's advocate, or gadfly's as you call them, that role can certainly be filled in a way that is not offensive or unduly annoying.
I think princepawn's situation is not an indication of a community that can't tolerate dissent but of one that refuses to allow one strident, shouting voice to drown out an ongoing reasoned discussion.
Varying points of view are tolerated, even encouraged, here. What should not be tolerated is allowing any one person to drown out or dominate the conversation by strength of opinion rather than strength of reason. It seems to me that princepawn largely ignored the (reasonable) wishes of his fellow community members and was therefore ostracized.
We surely must have the right, as a community, to have some say in what the standards of discourse amongst us will be.

~monk d4vis
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