@Simon - Yes, it's definitely something present in the world at large, particularly among highly charged subjects like religion, politics, sports, etc. I do feel (certainly have done no peer reviewed studies) that it might be worse with people like us that were in a cult that was so specific about verbiage and appearance. Most messages were crafted for specific reasons and we had to be certain not to give cause for stumbling. If nothing else, I feel like we're a bit more hyper-vigilant than most.
It is so annoying how you can speak on a subject and people focus on the 1% that is inaccurate as though it somehow destroys the 99%. I'm on some ex-JW Facebook groups and you'll see these brainwashed people that were never fully JWs come on and try to paint the cult with their apologist perspective as someone that never fully experienced it. It's crazy making.