I brought up an example of a specific sexist and controlling behavior I observed (guys holding their wives or girlfriends by the neck while walking across the street, like they were steering a chicken) in a meetup group and all the men around me said they had never seen it. The two women said they both had experienced it.
Repeat this a thousand and one times with other behavior I and presumably you, as men, will never have to experience but are just as real.
I'm with you on this one.
In-universe, the "power use" argument seems strongest. Even if you could generate unlimited power, you can only distribute so much power under nominal use conditions and even under extreme use conditions like combat, do not maxing out with the included power load of shields 24/7 seems practical.
But out of lore, and just speaking practically, declaring "Shields up!" Was a critical narrative device for audience exposition purposes.
The crew needed to telegraph to the audience how significant something was or how dire something was, and I think nearly all shield chatter served that purpose.
I see you, dutifully trying to cover all the slight and misinformation in here with proper attributions and context.
It must be exhausting.
Thanks for effort, and don't forget to breathe and keep hydrated. Thanks for trying to hold community together.