I think people just need to be okay with having differing opinions. Not everything needs to be discussed and debated. It's pretty unlikely either person is going to change their mind anyway. Especially these days when issues are so polarizing and so tied to perceived moral lines.
The problem comes when people get upset at talking about normal things, or at jokes that might not land well on a particular person, for a personal reason. It doesn't have to be something contentious, to create conflict.
Yeah, I get that.