The Thing About Brutal Honesty
When someone brags about being “brutally honest”, I hear the clear emphasis on the “brutally” portion of that statement. What I’ve learned from “brutally honest” people:
- Their “honesty” is almost always just a completely subjective opinion, often ignoring context, annoying facts, and reality.
- Their intent is seldom to help, but almost always to wound.
- They tend toward overly simplistic “solutions” for what are often highly complex problems or difficult situations.
- They are rarely the person who’ll get their hands dirty helping. They are the kid throwing rocks at you from the side of the road, while you struggle to pick your bike up after a wreck.
It is easy to be “brutally honest”. It requires no actual expertise or effort.
