The risk of thinking in public

I recently watched a video on canceling by Contrapoints (Natalie Wynn). It's a feature-length movie, where she walks her audience through the toxicity of criticizing individual word choices, blaming by association, and mob mentality. The movie also works as an elaborate apology for (rare) poor phrasing, as well as defense against those who seem to be out to get her.

I won't repeat her video - it's well worth watching! - but it sure made me reflect on whether I should continue thinking in public. Since you're reading this, my conclusion should be evident. Here are a few of my thoughts on the matter.

Natalie is incredibly well-spoken. The mistakes that she made are very subtle, and I'm certain that I make similar and worse mistakes all the time. And it's not just a question of phrasing: I make errors in thinking all the time. Almost everyone does, but public figures in some circles are much doggedly scrutinized than in others. I probably won't ever be much of a public figure, so the risk for me should be minor. And overall, I have a fairly stable support network of people who know me offline, so even if lots of people were to make my online life miserable, I should be alright.