I don't think it's that simple. If majority is overly tolerant of vocal "jerks", some dissenting voices get self-censored due to not wanting to engage in such

I don't think it's that simple. If majority is overly tolerant of vocal "jerks", some dissenting voices get self-censored due to not wanting to engage in such a discourse, effectively limiting their freedom of expression (the pressures they expect to experience if they express themselves freely are too much for them to handle). Obviously, this does not stop other dissenting voices to be heard, but in practice, "jerks" have more persistence and thus end up "winning" by being more vocal and enduring. So it's certainly a tricky balance to aim for, and there is really no "right" line to be drawn.