The problem is that society equates being sexist with being evil or bad, the actions of sexist people as being inherently evil, and the words and opinions of sexist people as dismissable out-of-hand.<p>So when you point out a sexist action the target of your comment interprets that comment as you saying, &quot;You are evil. Your actions are evil and anything you say is not true.&quot;<p>The truth is that even well meaning people who want to treat others well and are willing to learn still do insensitive or discriminatory things but the language people use to point this out is very toxic and often assumes malice.