Yes and no - you will often see people trivialize or make excuses for harassers even if there is noting on the line for themselves. Nobody is scared of Asimov since he is long dead, but just look in this comment section.
You're right, people protect more than their job; they protect their ideologies, too.
There's an interesting story about the early Buddhist monks who, while the Buddha was alive, would squabble and fight over "right view". So, even after giving up almost everything, they were still attached! The Buddha, in classic Buddha way, responded by walking into the forest to meditate alone.
Personally, I wish we'd all just relax and realize what assholes we ALL are, each and every one. There are no exceptions.
I'd go further, people protect their identities, which includes whatever ideologies & personal facets of themselves they've codified.
Where one person shrugs when a family member is insulted, another might come to blows to protect an idea of family. It's cultural, economic and political...it's belief.
The idea is to discourage users from setting the bait in the first place, it's not great comment etiquette. Just never say you expect to be down voted.
The idea should be to discourage petty and arbitrary downvoting. That also isn't great comment etiquette, and it's far more corrosive to discourse than discussing downvotes, yet it's encouraged here.
