You make your case very poignantly. I'll have to think about this a bit more.

In particular, it does seem to me that people whom I find exceptionally trustworthy in my own life tend to have at least some serious disagreements with the respectable opinion, or at least aren't prone to stonewalling with pious rationalizations and moral condemnations when presented with arguments against the respectable opinion. But I'm not sure how much this is a selection effect, given that I myself have some opinions that aren't very respectable.