Originally posted by TorchkasI think being uncomfortable because someone doesn't agree with you is quite backwards. If anything, inciting discussion should be a good thing. Diversity of opinion should be celebrated.
Few things to note:
1) With weighty subjects it can be a significant cause of stress. Not the best thing to be exposed to when you're trying to have some leisure time.
(this is the main reason I complained earlier)
2) With specific topics, it can actually be threatening. On the internet this is most common with sexism/transphobia. It's not just "discomfort" if people start casually insulting women or promoting body shame or something, it's actively harmful. Understanding other viewpoints is great, but no one should be expected to listen to any form of prejudice and treat it like it's somehow a reasonable opinion.
(notably I'm speaking in general here, and not saying this happened recently in this thread; I didn't read much of it.)
3) Internet debates typically devolve into trying to appeal to audiences rather than actually come to greater mutual understanding or objective truth. People start tossing ad hominem, aggression, and sarcasm (along with other tactics) to sway audiences and not who they're ostensibly talking to. (again not saying it happened in this thread, but this is the main reason I don't put much stock into social media warzones like twitter actually being good for anything)