The short answer is, there's a fine line between being a pushover and being a social retard.
While it can seem like a good idea to self-censor a lot in social situations, you need to ask yourself "are these people really worth it?" A lot of the time, whatever you think might come from being polite (e.g. friends, a job, a GF) isn't really worth it. For example, let's say you're a free market dude and you shut up about your libertarian beliefs because everyone at your school is a hardcore communist and you want to fit in. You may salvage friendships by doing this, but now you're stuck with friends you don't see eye to eye with. Is that better than having NO friends? Well, probably... but is transferring to a different school where people think differently really such a drastic act?
On the other hand, you also need to learn that voicing your every opinion at every opportunity is often not worth it either. Let's say you had some bad experiences over the years with flamboyant homosexuals, and you live in San Francisco (and for some reason San Francisco is the only city where you can find work). You might feel like airing out your grievances, but is it really worth it? Do you hate them SO MUCH that it's worth losing your job over it.
So it really is ultimately a matter of drawing the line. Everyone will differ slightly on where to draw it, but keep in mind how valuable things are to you. Faking beliefs to keep a job may not be somewhat acceptable, because you do need a job to survive. But faking beliefs to maintain a friendship seems like a bad idea: you don't need to be hanging around with some faggot who's going to flip out because you don't like the same band he does.
While it can seem like a good idea to self-censor a lot in social situations, you need to ask yourself "are these people really worth it?" A lot of the time, whatever you think might come from being polite (e.g. friends, a job, a GF) isn't really worth it. For example, let's say you're a free market dude and you shut up about your libertarian beliefs because everyone at your school is a hardcore communist and you want to fit in. You may salvage friendships by doing this, but now you're stuck with friends you don't see eye to eye with. Is that better than having NO friends? Well, probably... but is transferring to a different school where people think differently really such a drastic act?
On the other hand, you also need to learn that voicing your every opinion at every opportunity is often not worth it either. Let's say you had some bad experiences over the years with flamboyant homosexuals, and you live in San Francisco (and for some reason San Francisco is the only city where you can find work). You might feel like airing out your grievances, but is it really worth it? Do you hate them SO MUCH that it's worth losing your job over it.
So it really is ultimately a matter of drawing the line. Everyone will differ slightly on where to draw it, but keep in mind how valuable things are to you. Faking beliefs to keep a job may not be somewhat acceptable, because you do need a job to survive. But faking beliefs to maintain a friendship seems like a bad idea: you don't need to be hanging around with some faggot who's going to flip out because you don't like the same band he does.