It's true, emotions and argumentivity require a different tact than just "steelmanning". I can think of plenty of reasons where steelmanning is not the best rhe

It's true, emotions and argumentivity require a different tact than just "steelmanning". I can think of plenty of reasons where steelmanning is not the best rhetoric in those kinds of situations. On the flip side, steelmanning is a really good "high ground maneuver". A good faith effort at trying to understand and strengthen the argument of someone who is being argumentative is a way to take the emotion out of the argument. You might find you have endeared yourself to them, and doing so have created a chance to shift their thinking a degree.