Not sure why you're getting downvoted, what you're describing is Grahams Hierarchy of Disagreement.

The original writing is here: http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html

And here it is in handy-dandy picture form: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Gr...

Responding to tone is one level below an argument that actually addresses the point. Responses to tone can be safely dismissed as irrelevant to the debate at hand.