I dunno, I interacted with perl about 2000-2003 in a small way, it always seemed pretty friendly and welcoming, I loved perlmonks and remember it happily.
I'm a bit sceptical about this:
> (Pause a second and ask yourself about the sort of social culture that both allows this kind of behaviour at public events, and then chooses to embrace it as a key piece of cultural lore)
Is it really so terrible that someone throws a coffee cup or two at a wall to make a point? Sounds a bit pearl-clutching.