Crowds are fast and wrong more often than you’d think. Being slow and right looks lonely until it pays.

A group moves at the speed of agreement, not accuracy. Once enough people are heading the same way, checking feels rude and slow, so nobody does it, and the mistake gets made at scale. Standing apart is uncomfortable in a specific way, because you are not just disagreeing, you are also alone while waiting to find out.

When everyone around you is certain, ask what evidence they are working from. If the honest answer is that they heard it from each other, give yourself permission to wait. You do not have to announce that you disagree, only refuse to move until you actually believe it.