You absolutely don't have to agree with anything I write - I hope my writing has enough humour and silliness in it - that even if you fundamentally disagree with my conclusions, you can at least enjoy the world and the meandering on the way there.

I am a classic liberal and that means not getting into bed with anyone who attempts to mandate what people can and can't say - no matter how much I agree or disagree. I'm at the Noam Chomsky end of libertarian... this article explains why I dont make friends very easily. https://medium.com/lucid-nightmare/the-penguin-political-compass-is-complicated-and-controversial-dc04f4267b96

Don't let the Tessa's of the world put you off doing writing if you want. I haven't read much of Tessa's work (and now I can't) but I believe she's in the 'progressive' camp - the sort of person who enjoys a virtue signal over a glass of wine but who would put her foot on the back of your neck in shallow water unless you agreed with her world view.

If you've been a reader, you can be a writer too. Go on! Do it! Jump the divide and join the dark side. Medium should be a place where individuals come to say what they think, people carefully honing the skills to bring their individual views into the mix and have them tested in the crucible of discussion. I argue because I think I'm right, but so does everyone else on here - and provided we can keep the discourse civil, we have plenty to learn about how and why others reach different conclusions.

I think Medium benefits from new writers joining the platform. Old writers like me get tired and need to be kept on our toes :o)