This is what it’s like to share ideas under your real name in modern America.
Pretty much all Tesla buyers, when complaining about their car, says "I love the car but". Even if you're anonymous, you need to pay lip service to your groups online, otherwise the online mob well... mobs you.
Its just the internet. In real life, we use subtle clues, like hair-cuts, styles, tattoos, clothing, to differentiate ourselves and indicate our viewpoints / set expectations.
Here on the internet, we only have words to set expectations. "I love the car but" says "I'm a fan of Tesla, don't hate me too badly".
"I like public transportation and live in a city but..." and other such indicators are just real-life emotions seeping into the discussion. As it should be. Its how humans act and its probably best if we accepted it rather than pretended we were unemotional, perfectly rational beings typing away on a keyboard over here.
The vi vs emacs flamewars were intense. I've seen literal death threats thrown out online over which assembly language to use, or PS2 vs XBox flamewars. Trolls, even back in the day, would try to trick people into clicking pornography on children video game forums.
People have always been assholes online.
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Offline, casual racism and stereotypes rule. Which is why people focus so much on dress and mannerisms, so that your first impression is "correct", and you have a reasonable social interaction. How you talk, or stutter, or accents, or skin color, etc. etc. It matters more often than not.
It "shouldn't", but it does. These things seep into the online discussion space.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lynching_victims_in_...
There might have been more tolerance for racism and sexism and stuff, but not more tolerance for everyone.
-- De Tocqueville, Democracy in America, published in 1835.
Because it’s so common that utterly specious and biased critiques are plonked down and basically screamed out by individuals or groups with vested interests the public has become jaded. And on the internet it’s doubly so.
Due to those wolf criers, people have to go above and beyond to establish their credibility and motive to show they are worth taking seriously.
It makes a lot of sense given how things are