They don’t have to be, though. You can’t avoid the trolls or toxic people, obviously, and these topics which hold some personal identity to people tend to draw out the worst of it all. But if people can put ego aside - big “if,” but it can be done - it can be an interesting discussion. Sometimes mind-changing, or at least idea-inducing. Personally I’ve tried to be less snarky over the years, not always succeeding but improving on it.