> "... which so-and-so clearly does not understand..." or "I'm surprised anyone actually pays attention to that kook."

I beg to disagree.

Such verbal slinging IMO serves the important sociological purpose of publicly provoking the other person to react and calling everyone else's attention to the issue. I'd even venture to say that we're all basically watching the discussion primarily because of the jabs.

Insults would perhaps be unbecoming if this were a clinical and professional exchange in an academic journal. But when our opinions compete to survive in the wild, a little verbal spice helps.

Speaking for myself at least, the primary value of this exchange is entertainment. Any knowledge or insight is merely a bonus.