> My father was fond of saying, "A man convinced against his will, Is a man of the same opinion still." --source unknown That's true indeed. So often people

> My father was fond of saying, "A man convinced against his will, Is a man of the same opinion still." --source unknown That's true indeed. So often people just seem to want to get your assent, as if verbally agreeing with them creates some kind of legal contract and victory for them. It's a point of power-play and irrelevant to everything else. This often happens around "policy" when insecure authoritarians take issue over some minor point. But, as you say, anyone who is cajoled, bullied and browbeaten into passive, or tacit agreement, remains unchanged. For some people, they are now bitter and resentful, and out to embarrass or trip up their opponent on the slightest error of fact. I've seen this a lot in academia, where "being right all the time" is the currency of the hierarchy.