The only ... "hole" in your theory i see is the person who just found out about a new thing, and they are going all over to everybody telling them about this new amazing thing.
But, that is, by definition, someone who really does not know their argument / theory / whatever. So, they can't really have a debate.
Else, what i have seen is people arguing like their lives depend on it... and, their life might depend on it. Their self esteem / self image is tied to what they know via the govern-cement indoctrination system and the standardized tests where you are a good person if you answer all the questions correctly and a bad person if you do not.
I always enjoy the way you sum up mainstream culture. I can stand up on my own feet now but its still nice to have you remind me that I'm not the only nutter with these ideas :-D