Actually it's through Internet conversations and mostly online education that my mind was changed, my whole worldview in fact.
Quietly doing good is admirable. So is speaking up where people are talking. Both is even better still.
The very idea that your opinion would change over time terrifies people like PG. If you are useful, you must stay predictable. If you are not useful, you are a convenient target.
Stoking the classic 'us vs them' is the oldest trick in the book. Pay no attention to the man on the podium.