I would think that people should be able to handle the truth (either way) - painful as it may be. I mean if the Internet stands for one thing, it's transparency. Hiding stuff is not something we should strive for.
I’m not sure adherence to simplistic ideals is something we should strive for either. The goal of HN, as I understand it, is to generate thoughtful discussion. If transparency is counterproductive to achieving that goal than we should abandon it.
As far as "handling the truth" I don’t think that speaks to his point. When we use that phrase we are talking about someone controlling their reaction to a change they can perceive. Such as someone preventing themselves from emotionally falling apart when something bad happens.
But group think, and the desire for acceptance which is its root cause, is something people don’t perceive is happening to them. They therefore can’t consciously control their reaction to it.
His suggestion is that we remove the root stimuli so as to not provoke the reaction to begin with. So your point doesn’t really apply.
