I don’t think it used to be as rare as you think. The internet mob phenomenon has made it easier for random people to be bizarrely piled on for one bad comment

I don’t think it used to be as rare as you think. The internet mob phenomenon has made it easier for random people to be bizarrely piled on for one bad comment but in the recent past famous well-liked people had to completely hide that they were gay or have their careers ruined. Additionally, McCarthyism was a thing and certainly being an atheist in most of the country wasn’t exactly pleasant until very recently.