alt Hacker News> Are you having these conversations in person?
I can't speak for the other poster but I've had the experience they described in-person, when I was living in Victoria
I rented an apartment downtown Victoria and had pretty frequent run-ins with addicts on the streets. My friends who lived and worked further out away from the downtown core had very strong opinions about it any time I had anything negative to say about the experiences
However your experience isn't necessarily where the other poster is coming from.
As a counter point, I have more nuanced conversations in person and am able to do it online; however I have also moderated a community for several years and learned how to do it.
From what I can remember of research, is that there is a difference in how people express themselves online vs offline.