I used to care what other's thought of me, far too much. My late teens and early twenties were spent in a large social group and there was definitely competition to hold my spot in the pecking order. Your "look" mattered, in fact, everything mattered way more than it ever should've.
Dropping the charade of self-censoring to please the crowd has been a freeing experience. (I walk the dogs in my pajama pants some times) Your thoughts are you and you are your thoughts. To not express them as you see the world is a limiting experience.
Maybe it's a product of age, but the fear of retribution diminishes as I age. At this point in life, I clearly state my thoughts to friends and family, without pause. It does not help my popularity, but it is life affirming to me.
I believe part of being laid off from my last job was partially a money crunch for the company as well as punishment for speaking certain truths that ownership wasn't particularly fond of hearing. Truth in speech or writing doesn't always get you ahead in the corporate world, but I believe it makes the writing process more genuine.
I'm going to try the dead-man-writing perspective and see how that changes what I've been doing.
Thanks @stellabelle.