My wife and I occasionally sit and talk about the rudeness and almost violent nature of people in arguments online. We have long since come to the conclusion that for MANY people "winning the argument" is actually more important than whether or not the outcome is just or right.
I get into arguments when I'm pretty sure I have facts and reasoning on my side, but I still try to treat my opponents with a measure of respect. Obvious example: I used to be extremely nationalistic in the sense of "America is right, immigrants are dangerous, and war is just." My views have shifted in large part because others actually challenged my arguments instead of attacking me, forcing me to examine my premises and preconceptions.
In contrast, I was literally just told downvoting vote-farming spam comments was equivalent to rape, arson, and murder. I was somehow guilty of war crimes because I noticed something weird and chose a response they didn't like.
Sad reflection on a growing part of the human species, it seems. You become "the bad guy" when you point out that someone is engaging in sketchy behavior. And often, the complaint is wrapped up as "interfering with someone's freedom."
It's one of the places I often end up locking horns with with a particular "subspecies" of Libertarians and Anarcho-Capitalists.
I hope I'm not part of that subspecies. Liberty is reciprocal, and just because you hav ethe right to act a certain way, that doesn't mean it's right to do it. I have every right to flip off and curse out anyone I meet on the sidewalk, but that would make me quite the unwelcome individual. I have the right to never tip anyone. The tipping system in America is a weird tradition anyway. But it's also not cool to mistreat underpaid servers.