I've been outspoken for nearly five years. Never once ran into any situation serious enough to make me feel like I need to stick my tail between my legs and walk away.
Yeah, I know very well the feeling. We both have been in this ecosystem about almost the same time watching from the first row how things develops. I suppose that the fact of not having had any need to stick our tail between our legs and walk away has been just matter to have been building some sort of respect by saying things clear and eloquently such as they are, independently of sounding like a controversial, polemic and dissenting voice sometimes.
I don't dislike folks because thousands of us played a role in making something new
I am aware that you are not one of my followers and perhaps for the same reason you do not interact much in my content. However, I have noticed that you have a very well balanced eclectic list with the ones you currently follow. And from what I've seen, it seems like a pretty colorful list of followed specimens of diverse nuances which looks very respectable to me.
Perhaps you still have to do a more thorough cleaning to get rid of all the dead accounts in it. But I am pleased to have seen that at least you still conserve a pretty large group of known rebels, outcasts and misfits in your list. What strikes me like a clever and wise way on how to maintain a truly healthy, nutritious and balanced diet in content in this place.