I have never figured out just what it is about the Internet that turns smart people dumb. There is a wonderful book from 1970 called Body Language by Julius Fast. This book discusses this behavior with regard to driving. Drivers feel a particular anonymity in their cars which allow them to act out (road rage) in ways that we just would not do face to face; the Internet provides that same assumed anonymity relaxing people enough to lash out in ways that would otherwise be sociably unacceptable.

I can appreciate your passion for a subject and the ire for someone else's opposing view. However, when you title or begin a message or comment with "you're an idiot", "stfu", "moron" or any of a number of other degrading, inflammatory, subjective remarks, you damage your argument no matter house sound, logical, or fact based. You damage your self image.

Personally, when I see a comment with such language, I immediately assume you are 12 years old and not worthy of an intellectual debate. I have to assume this because only a hormonal, irrational teen would use such an approach in an agrument. Certainly, you would not expect to stand in a crowd of people and sway their opinion to yours through name calling? That's the stuff of high schoolers and middle schoolers.

"Its better to let someone think your an idiot, rather than to open your mouth and prove them right." --when it doubt, attribute all quotes to Ben Franklin

My advice, if you can't say anything nice, don't...well, just stfu.