I had a confidence issue as a kid which continued into adulthood. In any group situation I was in, I was quiet and let others dominate the conversation. In other words, I assumed that most others were smarter than me.

I've dealt with plenty of Michael B's and some of them were bosses. I was fooled into thinking that an egotistical person with a big mouth who has a high opinion of him/herself really was a smart person. I let them take charge in group activities, work teams, etc, and would go with the flow. I'm still like that to an extent, especially in the workplace as truth telling is frowned on so just go along with it to collect the paycheck.

Anyway, you're right. So many just regurgitate the same talking points they see on TV, on the internet, etc. There is a lack of critical thinking skills. Some people just really think they're so important and have a highly inflated self esteem and are not open at all to changing their opinion.

I feel this way basically about almost all the characters who populated my life. Including former friends and confidantes, bosses and co-workers, forumers, etc.

Do you think that you could have ended up being around better quality people if you would have moved around more? I recall your story about moving back to your hometown for family reasons.
Sometimes I think I would have made better friends if I would have went away to school, for example, or moved out of the area I grew up in.