Mind the gap

The vast majority of people are generally moderate in their views but if you spend your time online we are apt to develop a different opinion. In fact the most extreme voices are ones who yell loudest because of some axe to grind. Look at the comments section of any video or article and you are more likely to find a disproportionately larger amount of very fervent opinion than you would find among the general population.

No matter which topic you are interested in, it is the most emotionally invested who will go out of their way to be vocal. When it came to the transgender issue I tended to be one of them because it touched a deep personal nerve but as my angst dissipated over the years, the gap between the real and online worlds became increasingly obvious to me.

The lesson then is to pay far more attention to our lived experience than to what some stranger has to say on the internet. Although admittedly, I do sometimes still enjoy the joust.