Maybe HTML needs some new tags

Flame wars are caused by misreading other people's tone, sarcastic, ironic or serious, and overestimating our ability to read others' intent from written posts. The result is overreaction and anger. Makes sense to me.

I would think, as well, that people are more aggressive and touchy when they feel anonymous, as in driving. A car cuts in on you and you see it as an intentional insult or a challenge, when the other driver might have been daydreaming or just not watching. My dad used to call people "fatheads" when he didn't like their driving. Eventually, he would involve us by telling us to call somebody a "fathead," although we never did so in a way the other driver could hear. This was long before "road rage" and shooting at other drivers became a problem. But the same principles apply on the internet, where nobody knows you're a dog.

I've used some faux tags like , , or as a way to clarify my meaning. I'm starting to think this could be a way to avoid misunderstandings and insult.

Of course, there will always be trolls and people who have a need to pick fights when they know they won't really get smacked around as a result.