Super advice. I do this in online and real life discourse on most any subject.
When responding to something, always begin your point at a place the other person understands. It's not always easy to find something to agree with from a position that you completely disagree with, but still try to find even some neutral ground. If you start at an unfamiliar spot for them right out of the gate, you lose people's attention, or they can get defensive, which isn't your fault but it's a natural reaction.