Great post, very well-balanced. One of the dumbest things I heard growing up was that to be silent is to agree with someone, I can't remember the exact quote,

Great post, very well-balanced. One of the dumbest things I heard growing up was that to be silent is to agree with someone, I can't remember the exact quote, I think there are a few variations. So I'd see myself as a hero when someone would say something I'd disagree with, and I'd vociferously disagree. When I thought about why I didn't have many friends, I realized, though I saw myself as a hero following this high-minded idea about silence=consent, I was really being a rude, mean, self-righteous jerk. Then I'd go to the other extreme and agree with everything other people said, but I'd have no self-esteem or self-respect. In the real world, it is more practical to switch the subject or say there are parts of other's opinions I can agree with, without agreeing with the whole thing. It's all about balance and nuance. I've been around many people that act like they always speak their mind, but then I've been able to observe them in difficult situations, they are far more conformist than they'd ever admit.