Over here, over there I've hit the dustry trail and the Casons go marching along....sorry, could not help myself.

Arguing on the internet is like beating a dead horse over and over again. It gets you nowhere.

There are many futile arguments I have stepped back from simply because they are not worth my time and effort, especially online

These is an old saying: "Never argue with a fool in public, because people may not be able to tell which one is which."

I was in exactly that situation several months ago. There was a post about a company soliciting funds to tackle the worst hunger crises in N. Africa since WWII. I disagreed with the premise of simply sending food and said so. I was called names and asked stupid questions (like would I not feed my own children). We had an comment on this site where a member said family planning aid was more important than food aid. I explained my point and people started to take note. Gradually the positive comments outweighed the negative one. Finally, I stated that the name callers have no reason based backing for their comments and revert to name calling. I challenged them to bring it on because it simply proved my point. The name calling did stop.

I like the idea of a video chat when the distance is too great

This is my favourite cartoon on internet debates,have had a few over the years sometime going on for days. I feel bad about it to be honest,its quiet a negative thing to do.Sometimes its best just to walk away...but an unanswered post eats away at your brain lol.

Yeah ... I've gotten into it mildly here, and less mildly on FB (mostly over the orange one, and food choices). Not one to always be silent, sometimes I get sucked in deeper than planned - though it's been a good lesson in picking my battles. And I never attack personally. A respectful debate can actually be fun - but I prefer sticking to areas of learning, and all out silliness.

I've also gotten much better at simply scrolling past potential war zones ! No point in entering the fray ...

Argue or debate or converse or exchange information or deliberate or have discourse or .. . why can't we communicate our ideas effectively without it degrading into an argument?

Yep... that's true. It's hard to get a FU off the screen. Then you got to explain it. Then others pick sides and make comments...as you spiral down the toilet of social media...