If the term were "Disagree" rather than "Downvote", the atmosphere would be more civil. Also, this would encourage more temperate minded folks to express thems

If the term were "Disagree" rather than "Downvote", the atmosphere would be more civil. Also, this would encourage more temperate minded folks to express themselves, and I think that would be more informative. As it is, "Downvote" tends to smear both sides of an issue rather than open a discussion attempting to understand and moderate the issue.