I think the antidote to this is to be willing to go down with the ship of Truth. If you are saying something that you believe is true, that you believe is as ki

I think the antidote to this is to be willing to go down with the ship of Truth. If you are saying something that you believe is true, that you believe is as kind as possible, then when you are pilloried, you will be forced to retreat back into the arms of other people who recognize truth and kindness when they see it. If you neglect the truth, and instead traffic in half truths and innuendos... in the off chance you are pilloried anyway, where will you retreat to? The world is full of second chances. You may lose your chance at becoming a senator, or a university professor, or somesuch. But there's mostly always another opportunity somewhere. In the internet age, you can eke out a living off of a motley crew of diffuse patrons more easily than ever. You don't need to please everyone the way Walter Kronkite did. You just need to please your core following. If you accept that you have no entitlement to any particular space or industry or position then it becomes much easier to accept that things might go sideways. It's not the end of the world. Just the end of your story in one slice of it. ... says someone who just wrote a post this morning on HN about the notion that whiteness and masculinity could be associated with brain damage. I may come to regret it. But I think it's worth it, to put up my sail and allow it to be pushed closer to truth.