As long as you're tactful and willing to cede your argument if they don't come to see your side, there shouldn't be any reason to be terrified. If you act diplomatically and still have crazy bosses, might be good to find a different job if you can, or just not care and get your paycheck.
Unfortunately it is not that simple. Sometimes pushing back on the management is an indication of misalignment of priorities. It may not happen right away, but it can definitely limit your tenure.
Surely not if you raise a point one time to get a sense of the waters. If the management doesn't like to hear opinions from subordinates, you could pick up that vibe and stop pushing back. It might require greater social and political tact than should be necessary, but no more than needed in normal life situations.
Granted, social IQ is on a scale just like analytical analytical IQ. It would be nice for engineers if we could be blunt and to the point in our communications and let rationality win, but people aren't like that.
I'm just arguing the other end of this, because I've sometimes seen engineers be abrasive while "technically correct", and then have it cause problems for them. Being pleasant in interactions is an important skill, and I feel like sometimes it gets disregarded.
Again,sometimes even with tact and diplomacy, your bosses can still be unreasonable, and that sucks.
