I think it's less about the position you've taken as it is the broadcasting and framing of it. It's difficult to engage with what you've said beyond inquiring

I think it's less about the position you've taken as it is the broadcasting and framing of it. It's difficult to engage with what you've said beyond inquiring into your history and reasoning, asking you what has happened in your life to lead you to make these choices. It steers the discussion away from the article and towards you. Hence, the comment about being self-absorbed. The 'embarrassed' qualifier really attaches to that - the steering - not the statements themselves. > why do so many people care about what I do in my private life? One thing you could consider is whether people would care as much about your decisions if you didn't announce them and invite response. You may not be intending to invite response, but I've personally found that if I comment in a public discussion forum, people often assume I'm trying to start a discussion, and reply.