2008-2009 was really the age of jerks. Yeah there weren't bronies and furries, but fire and venom was the norm. 2010-2011 was a crazy time because the bronies were running around posted stuff everywhere making people mad, Miga left and Tony made himself a pariah, there was that house pets thing.
Things are better now, most of the stuffters were either left or banned. Others just changed.
Personally though, I have lots regrets from those times. Sure a lot those groups were intolerable in general, but a lot of those groups had some generally good people. Too much hostility.