This is significant to this forum. There are a lot of discussions that are unnecessarily rude and harsh on this forum. I am one of the guilty ones.
Why do we resort to name calling, being judgmental and being uncivil. We would not have done so, if we are face to face with the person.
One thing I can think of is laziness, instead of presenting a case, it is easier to “label”. Put the person or idea into a box.
While I can appreciate their opinion that comment sections can be overly childish, insulting, and often times just useless, it is ironic in a way that “Popular Science” is doing something that is quite unscientific by closing the comment sections. One of the most important aspects of the scientific process is publically stated dissent. Trolls are a necessary evil of forward progress. I agree with you it would be great if everyone would be more civil and polite, but dissent comes in all forms. I rarely support online publications, blogs, or YouTube channels that don’t have open comment sections.