It's certainly not a 100% tech topic? there aren't any (or hardly any) of those anyhow, no? but the main thing I want to say is thanks for that "putatively". Post HN I want to work on a society for endangered words.
Edit: well, one thought...IMO the dynamic that the explicitly-political threads and this sort of thread have in common is that people's identities are strongly vested in their position. The more we do that the more it feels like our existence is being threatened, rather than just our view. Then it's a fight to the rhetorical death.
That happens with emotional tech themes too, for example when people (god help us) identify strongly for or against some $BigCo or $celebrity.
Large sums of money being involved are a big multiplier of all this.
I do find it interesting that there's this putatively 100% tech topic that has the same dynamic as political threads.