I downvote when people post short comments that are basically "you're wrong" without any helpful criticism. When someone criticizes me in a thoughtful way I respond instead of downvoting (and often vote up if it brings up an interesting point).
A good metric that will keep conversation constructive is this: the purpose of your debate isn't to convince the person you're arguing with, it's for the benefit of the bystanders. you'll find yourself constructing much more professional arguments if you keep this in mind, the temptation to engage in "status plays" diminishes. your goal isn't to prove that you're right. your goal is for there to exist at the end a string of intelligent back and forth that display both sides of an issue in a useful way.
A good metric that will keep conversation constructive is this: the purpose of your debate isn't to convince the person you're arguing with, it's for the benefit of the bystanders. you'll find yourself constructing much more professional arguments if you keep this in mind, the temptation to engage in "status plays" diminishes. your goal isn't to prove that you're right. your goal is for there to exist at the end a string of intelligent back and forth that display both sides of an issue in a useful way.