I doubt he knows it's 'controversial' in respectable circles. It mostly isn't. He probably (ironically) thinks that it's just racist white nationalists who think that. The difference between him and the rest of the crowd is that if someone he knows is respectable makes that claim, he'll listen rather than concluding that you are a racist white supremacist.
Tons of stuff are there to provide context, which nearly everyone knows.
I doubt he knows it's 'controversial' in respectable circles. It mostly isn't. He probably (ironically) thinks that it's just racist white nationalists who think that. The difference between him and the rest of the crowd is that if someone he knows is respectable makes that claim, he'll listen rather than concluding that you are a racist white supremacist.
Tons of stuff are there to provide context, which nearly everyone knows.