Civil is fine if you can not manage polite. Actually, even heated is fine, if people stick to the topic, and not make personal attacks, observations and defences.
Offending someone is not criticism
Offence is generally taken, not given.
and i don't get how he can do that without consequences here.
I don't mean to single you out with this response, but since you brought it up:
a) Free speech.
b) Anyone old enough to post on public forums should be able to handle exposure to and discussion of opposing viewpoints.
c) Was it not obvious your own comparison was offensive to at least one person, for reasons stated, even if those reasons were presented in a manner unnecessarily rude? Who's offence should take priority when protecting people from being offended? Should I moderate content based on my own opinions? That would be far more toxic to the forum than an occasional argument possibly getting out of hand.
d) Free speech.
