Exactly this. On Usenet there were still moderated groups, because there were assholes that were willing to start flame wars. The term "flame war" came from Usenet, as did "trolling". The original meaning of "trolling" was making a post that provoked a huge number of responses, be it good or bad. Now it has morphed to meaning you say something shitty.
> That's a purely American phenomenon
This is wrong. Europe turned nationalistic and right wing much earlier than the US. Look through the last 10 years and it's been something they've struggled with for the entire decade and earlier.
Someone else being just as bad/worse is not a valid excuse.
My point is that racism and right-wing nationalism isn't something that somehow started in Europe in the last couple of decades and then came to the US. It's been there since the beginning on both sides of the Atlantic, and systematic racism in the US has been a thing since before the founding fathers put ink to paper.
In addition, you can't just say "Europe" as one unit. There are vast cultural differences between even neighboring countries. Europe does not act as one united country, it's a patchwork of localized opinions and cultures.
> That's a purely American phenomenon
This is wrong. Europe turned nationalistic and right wing much earlier than the US. Look through the last 10 years and it's been something they've struggled with for the entire decade and earlier.