Thanks so much for the post. Once upon a time I took a grad course in social anthropology, and the professor said something like "read for the best Marx", by which he meant "don't assume an interpretation that makes him out to be an idiot; start with the assumption that he probably had something coherent to say, and try to understand it first."

I've found that to be good advice in general, and for internet conversations in particular. Start with the assumption that you are communicating with someone who is not an idiot, who has something to say, and try not to give reflexive, dismissive answers.

Not that I'm so perfect as to always remember, but I try.