Totally agree. Incidentally, in relation to your last sentence, on my Facebook-feed the other day, someone unknown to me, commented: "I know you think you can speak for everyone because you are a old, white man, but really, you don't know what anyone else thinks or wants."

Three or four times recently a comment I have posted on the Globe's Facebook has been criticised this way, i.e. not by addressing the issue sensibly, but by an ad hominem attack on me as a "white", "middle-aged" or "old" guy. (Obviously the commentator looked at my profile pic and judged me based on my skin colour, approx age, and the fact I am enjoying a pint of beer). And, relevant or not, it's always been a female that has commented on this.

So, apparently being a "white", "middle-aged" man invalidates anything you have to say. 

I would like to eradicate such stupidity from the centre/centre-left discourse. :)