As a hospice nurse I have seen some of the most sane individuals lose their grip on reality and revert to hideous examples of social inadequacy. There are a few things though one can do to counter a person irrationaly being.
I strongly urge you to learn agrumentation, as in how to present yourself vocally, physically, and mentally to another person. Vocally is probably the more important of the three. People react to tone and volume fluxations in voice instanteously. Learning to control voice variations so that it is firm, constant, and deeper in tone, not louder in volume, will allow you to influence the mood and behavior of whomever you are speaking to. I talk people down for a living by using a steady voice.
Never get angry in return. Know your position and stick to it, not the irrelevant attacks your opponent will undoubtedly throw in your face that have nothing to do with the present discussion.
Know whom to argue with, some people will never yield even to hear what other arguments there might be.
Try to find if you can The Thinker’s Guide to Fallacies: The Art of Mental Trickery and Manipulation by Dr. Richard Paul and Dr. Linda Elder. The use of this little hand guide can not be understated in my opinion. Hope that helps.
