Welcome to the internet era, anonymity will do that. People say things online that they would never do in person, but for good or bad, this is how social media works and it's our new reality.
People have the *freedom* to a) not engage in social media. b) abstain from controversial opinions on social media. c) battle it out if they have the energy.
It's not going to go away though, so complaining about it is futile.
That's why I'm not on Twitter or Facebook.