A lot of people get "stark" confused with "harsh"

                ...and "blunt" confused with "abusive"

One thing to be said about the "Wokesters" and "Cancel Culture":  a lot of what used to be reserved for the social misfits (the oddballs, weirdos, freaks, malcontents, lunatics) has finally trickled down to the quintessential "average" Joe and Jane.

Then:  Anyone behaving "strangely", not just irrational and psycho but even simply acting weird or saying off-the-wall things, stood to be committed to a state mental institution involuntarily.  And once collectively judged to be "crazy" would lose all credibility as a person.

Nowadays:  Anyone who contradicts, or points out any discrepancies or inconsistencies in or within popular narratives put forth by the current social, corporate, or political environment or by favored "special interest" groups stand to be banished from social media sites, or even fired from their job (or removed from their profession), or ignored altogether by most major media outlets.

Then:  Students get expelled from school for using obscenities or for disruptive behavior

Nowadays:  Employees and even bosses lose their jobs or positions over "hate speech", "inappropriate statements", or "saying something 'abusive'".

Then:  A lot of establishments reserved "the right to refuse service to anyone".  And were big on enforcing laws against "loitering".   NO HITCHHIKERS OR VAGRANTS.  VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED FOR TRESPASSING was a common notice on the entrance to a lot of truck stops, and even a lot of restaurants would refuse entry to anyone carrying a back pack or duffel bag.

Nowadays:  Facemasks or proof of vaccination for COVID required to enter.

This sort of  ostracizing and humiliating is nothing new for us "malcontents", "undesirables", and overall "unwanted".   But for the average "respectable" normals, so used to being entitled to "mandated" unconditional general respect from others and "having command over" their lives and everything around them, it's probably quite a traumatic experience to suddenly find themselves being treated like some kind of "menace" and "threat" to others around them.