How about respectful conversations about politics? Is that important?
Taxes, regulations, reparations, immigration and border policy, national security.....? Are any topics worth discussing?
I totally concur with the OP's comments about pissing contests and insults and all that other poppycock, but I think attempts to discuss the issues of the day in and by themselves are not toxic.
I'm a political geek, hell I have to be, and I love an exchange of ideas. I avoid pissing contests which are all over this forum BTW and they're found in many if not most threads. My feelings are never hurt and I never flag anybody or reach out to the mods.
I do love to mock some people, but I save that for the political forum where I rather enjoy pushing buttons. And I don't mock anybody for disagreeing with me, but only after they say stupid shit time after time after time and they never learn from their mistakes as they cite the Daily Kos or Michael Moore or some ten second sound bite. I don't try to change their minds, I just point and laugh.
The people I mock tend to be people involved in pissing contests who get their feelings hurt who run to the mods and who get banned multiple times at multiple forums...