"Well, it's complicated." "Both sides have valid points." "I try to stay objective." "It really depends on the context."
Shut the fuck up.
You're not being thoughtful. You're not being balanced. You're not being wise. You're being a coward who's too scared to say what you actually think because someone might disagree with you.
Your fake neutrality isn't enlightenment. It's cowardice with a thesaurus.
"I'm just being objective."
No, you're not. You're avoiding the discomfort of having a position. True objectivity means looking at the evidence and reaching a conclusion. You're skipping the conclusion part because conclusions are scary.
"But every issue has nuance!"
Yes, and after considering the nuance, you should still be able to say which side you lean toward. "It's nuanced" is not a position. It's an observation that everyone already knows. Congratulations, you've contributed nothing.
Real thinkers don't hide behind complexity. They wade through it and come out the other side with an actual stance. You're just standing at the edge, pretending the water is too deep.
Here's what your fake neutrality actually accomplishes:
The world doesn't need more people who can see both sides. It needs people who can see both sides and then pick one.
The team is deciding between two technical approaches. Person A argues for microservices. Person B argues for a monolith. Everyone looks to you.
What you say: "Well, both approaches have merit. Microservices offer scalability but add complexity. Monoliths are simpler but might not scale as well. It really depends on your specific needs."
What you contributed: Absolutely fucking nothing. Everyone already knew that. You just repeated the question back in different words.
What you should have said: "Given our team size and current stage, I think we should start with a monolith. Here's why..."
That's an opinion. It might be wrong. But at least it moves the conversation forward instead of leaving everyone exactly where they started.
Fence-sitters don't lead. They don't innovate. They don't change anything. They just occupy space while real decisions get made by people willing to be wrong.
Every great achievement in history came from someone who said "I believe this" and acted on it. Not from someone who said "Well, there are valid arguments on both sides, so let's form a committee."
You want to be taken seriously? Have the courage to be wrong. Have the spine to disagree. Have a fucking opinion.
Next time someone asks what you think:
You can acknowledge complexity while still having a position. You can be humble about being wrong while still stating what you believe. These things are not mutually exclusive.
Just fucking have an opinion.