There is this conflict between just letting shit pass versus risking a scene because you gotta stand up for yourself to retain your self-respect and personal dignity. I grew up in a culture where letting shit pass was deemed universally wiser. But honestly as I've met more people from different walks of life it feels pretty cheap. For one thing, it is a lot easier to just let things slide from a position of power. And also people who aren't empowered encounter this choice more often per day, which tries their patience more. I think asserting ourselves is a form of power, and that refusing to is a sign of privilege (already having power) to put it very abstractly. And that's not something everybody can do, but I've decided that it is worth striving for. So if you ever ask yourself why I speak out even when I don't have full information laid out in an evidence database, that's why. Consider doing so as well! It feels great standing up for yourself, and it asserts boundaries that you never realized needed to be spoken. Like "don't fucking talk shit about me for posting about lentils" even. Thank you lentils hater, you made me realize that I needed to assert myself more!