From what I've found, people are more receptive to my views if I'm politely receptive to theirs.

And I do that to a point - a long point, actually, both in real life and online. I'll actually put up with a lot that I don't agree with, vis a vis opinions. But once somebody or somebodies has pushed me enough times over that line, there's a good chance I'll never take anything they say seriously or with much respect ever again. (And I rarely hide my irritation when I'm that pissed off, so people generally have the opportunity to back the rewind and start over before I get to the aforementioned extreme point.) Which isn't a good character trait, necessarily - it's just me.