I think you are selling yourself short by saying we should disagree and chalking it up to age: my father is from the boomer generation and I would expect no less of him than I would someone my own age in terms of being able to understand relationships and meaningful communities.

I highlight this last sentence because yes, you are correct, before the internet these exact threats and the method in which they are delivered could not have happened. But then again, in the past, I couldn’t vote or choose whether or not to have a child — so this comparison is hollow.

The real world is not going away. Real world interactions continue to happen and will continue to be valuable, rich experiences. What’s happening is that online experiences are become more valuable, rich, and real. That does not diminish the real world — and the reason why I think you should not shrug this off as a disagreement and attribute it to age is because by rejecting this notion, you are hampering the progress of positive online experiences.

And you don’t have to worry about me feeling attacked or diminished. I don’t feel any of that — I love these kinds of conversations and welcome them. I hope you do, too.