Comments | crasch: I Think You’re Fat

crasch

I Think You’re Fat

Sep 06, 2007 22:14

A fun little article on Radical Honesty. Via patrissimo.

This story is about something called Radical Honesty. It may change your life. (But honestly, we don’t really care.)

Here’s the truth about why I’m writing this article:

I want to fulfill my contract with my boss. I want to avoid getting fired. I want all the attractive women I knew in ( Read more... )

radical_honesty, selfhelp

Comments 6

ladykalana September 7 2007, 06:04:27 UTC

WOW. I read that entire article, and it's borderline terrifying. I'm all for reducing the amount of lies in this world, and by all means I'd prefer to work and live in realms that require a minimum of ass-kissing and game-playing, but much of what Blanton delightedly advocates is so very cruel. I feel sorry for the people Jacobs encountered during his experiment, the nanny and the Rachel Ray magazine editor in particular. I know I could not happily share a meal with someone who was being so inappropriate. I've worked with people who have no censor, namely my boss at UNC, and it was hellish. There is much good in living an honest life, but that is not the only qualification for virtuous communication. I prefer the "is it true, kind, and necessary" test; I think there would be a whole lot less talking all round if we all adhered to that, and that's probably a good thing.

crasch September 8 2007, 07:07:24 UTC

"is it true, kind, and necessary"

A good rule of thumb, I think.

azalynn September 7 2007, 06:19:10 UTC

This article came up on a BBS discussion recently (I'm a member of an old-ass text-based BBS system with a bunch of other nerds). And while I personally think that there's WAY too much BS in social relations these days, I don't think that "shooting your mouth off about every impulse that happens to drift out of your id" constantly is the same thing as Being Honest. I do think that when people ask for my opinion, they shouldn't expect any punches to be pulled, but I don't see the point of wandering around giving unsolicited opinions or babbling my bizarro internal monologue all over the place.

crasch September 8 2007, 06:56:36 UTC

I agree. As someone else pointed out, at any given time, there are an infinite number of truths you could be saying. There's no reason to pick the least flattering or most hurtful truths to say.

zanfur September 7 2007, 06:57:17 UTC

That's pretty close to what I do. Or did. I tried to eradicate all lies from my life a few years ago. I still lie in games (such as poker) and to beggars. For a while, I'd actually tell beggars the truth, that I *did* have money but wasn't going to give it away, and one of them almost attacked me. So I started lying to beggars again. Or simply not responding, when that was a reasonable option, which it usually is ( ... )

herbaliser September 8 2007, 10:56:20 UTC

I never really learned tact till I left home (having a father who worships brutal honesty and 3 brothers who all try to outwit each other will do this, I guess). I still am the person people ask for the straight shooting, but I have learned how to be diplomatic about it. Except on the internet, heh.