Why do Far Leftist activists all too often have meltdowns when they can't win debates?

 (My answer in Quora)

Far Left ideologies are usually rooted in the anti-Enlightenment Romantic movement that has its origin in the writings of Rousseau. It appeals to emotion and the will of the people and is centered on the ‘ought’ as opposed to the ‘is’.

At its core these ideologies (whether Marxist or neo-Marxist) are utopic and see the ‘other’ as reactionary stumbling blocks in a Manichean world of good versus evil.

A defeat in the context of a rational debate taps into a visceral response. Meltdowns are all too often a consequence.