One thing about this that strikes me is that "right wing" and "left wing" don't adequately describe either people's positions or the extent of the impact of the

One thing about this that strikes me is that "right wing" and "left wing" don't adequately describe either people's positions or the extent of the impact of the chilling effect you described. I would not consider myself "right wing" - I'm an anarcho-capitalist, and have no problem with the vast majority of the social issues embraced by the left. I take issue with the way they intend to address them sometimes but that applies to all parties and to government in general. Still, I often bite my tongue when guns come up as a topic of conversation in a professional settings, because when I speak on that topic it's automatically assumed that I'm a Republican. Democrats (and assorted other leftists) seem to regularly project their preconceived notions of what a Republican is onto me, and assume that they are correct.