It's not necessarily a threat of violence. A lot of people would just feel ashamed to criticise other people in person would feel fine to do it on the Internet. Being a dick is a lot harder when you can see the effects of your words on the other person.
Okay, let's think about this for a second.
Let's say censoredname says that to Paul in person. When is beating someone's ass a legit way to win an argument?
I mean, censoredname is a dick, but violence is a comeback at the level of a caveman.
It's not necessarily a threat of violence. A lot of people would just feel ashamed to criticise other people in person would feel fine to do it on the Internet. Being a dick is a lot harder when you can see the effects of your words on the other person.