Interestingly, when people profess a strong opinion and change their mind, this is exactly when we shouldn't be mocking them. Everything we say is due to mental/rational processes applied over data we gather, so... oftentimes it's just an opinion.

Sometimes we'll strongly believe something totally bogus (I used to believe in communism when I was a teenager). And the fact we change our mind when holding very strong beliefs is actually a sign of intellectual honesty.

Unfortunately, I see people being mocked even when transparent and respectful. But I mostly agree with you that being respectful helps receiving respect when you're wrong.