Vested Interest?
When we look at the fiercer debates going on, in a forum, would it not be useful to know if the poster has a "Vested Interest" and what that was?
Some examples:-
1) Runs a business and wants to profit from lower wages or lower Health & Safety standards.
2) Takes a holiday, somewhere, every year, and wants protection from price increases.
3) Loves the countryside and wants to keep it from becoming over populated.
The list will be long.
Some posters return to every counter posting with steadily increasing venom and, usually, not giving an inch to the other argument.
My point, here, is that I would not feel there was any point in arguing if I knew that the other poster had a strong, personal, reason for not backing a particular idea.