We're not talking about the culture of paranoia and safety that has metastasized in the wake of COVID-19 hysteria. We're talking about the ideological shift, particularly on cultural issues, that has occurred since the start of the Obama Administration.

To pick an easy example, it would have been fairly uncontroversial even five years ago to say that men should not be allowed to compete in women's sports, regardless of what they might subjectively "identify as." And yet, this is now a subject contention across a number of sports, including mixed martial arts and powerlifting. What's more, having the wrong opinion and expressing it publicly might make you the subject of a public shaming, up to and including losing your job and being de facto blacklisted from your industry.