The more I read internet arguments, even on this forum, the more I feel that it is impossible to have a debate on the internet. No-one can ever just back down from something. It's like the Cold War except it's about women's rights or your favorite pokemon.
Good thing its just a feel and not something you begin to treat as fact--it is
very possible to have a debate on the internet, but I'll argue that negativity hits the news and brings many eyes to its focus, enlarging how...prevalent it is.
Problem being, that kind of debate (ideas about the rights of people and their context) is a common problem right now (less so about favorite pokemon. Nobody is starting a war because of Pikachu.). Usually, when one side does not cede or give way in an argument, its either that they believe their stance is resolute--whether or not there is directly contradicting evidence--or that the basis of the debate, or to put it more harshly, an argument, is too
general to reach a standpoint. [Meaning: Lacking of specifics, like people relying too much on statistics--given that statistics is empirical data translated to numbers. Most of the times, these lack context on the whys and hows the event occurs but rather only gives a superficial or basic idea on the case.]
Though it is very muchly possible to have a clean and clear, pleasant debate on the internet. Don't let bad events muddle your viewpoint on this.