A lot has been said about how political correctness culture has censored opinion. People can be persecuted for believing things that are not popularly accepted these days; it can mean loss of a job, loss of opportunity, social isolation, etc; if you express views that are regarded as intolerant or judgmental and so on.
All of that is true. But, hasn’t it always been?
What has really changed in this era is the almost total lack of conviction people have about their beliefs and their willingness to sacrifice and pay the price for speaking up in defense of what they believe.