I say, on the evidence, your " Tornado alley's turned into an insult forum in the last few years." is an invalid misconception repeated by conservatives on iHub recently. I believe the evidence doesn't support that. Go back 10+ years (i'll bet none of those saying it have done that) and you will see it hasn't changed much at all. Vigorous debate has always been a measure of the place. And insults, yes, always those too.
I've gone back to check and seen times back then when there were more insults than there are on many days now. That's the basis of my position.
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”