If you attempt to engage critically with a (specific person) regardless of how thorough and respectful you may be....(etc etc -- it won't go over well). Conver

If you attempt to engage critically with a (specific person) regardless of how thorough and respectful you may be....(etc etc -- it won't go over well). Conversely, if you don’t provide specifics, you’ll be accused of making stuff up. This is an issue I have thought a great deal about. It isn't peculiar to any particular issue. I think it is a product of the internet age, where we can talk about and also talk with virtually anyone on the planet in real time. I have wrestled with this a lot because I find social stuff interesting. If I talk about a particular person in order to have a concrete example, I'm in danger of doing real harm to that person. If I don't cite a real world example, people may not believe it or may not be able to comprehend my point. One of my solutions is I talk about myself a lot. The result: I get accused of being a narcissist and attention monger who "makes everything about me." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯