I'm thinking of arguing with the elderly janitor as training for myself to be more assertive
That sounds rude, why do you want to be assertive?
I want to stop depending on others and take things into my own hands.
I understand you wan to be more dominant and take charge of your life. but you should not use some elderly janitor to practice. It's rude and mean.
lol, good luck trying to teach me a lesson about anything mate.
You can stand up for your self in other non confrontational ways you know? Or you can treat standing up like a normal thing and be firm but kind when you reject something.