> Some people consider forthright language to be a sign of respect. The problem is that it's like saying "I'm not a pessimist or an optimist, I'm a realist" -

> Some people consider forthright language to be a sign of respect. The problem is that it's like saying "I'm not a pessimist or an optimist, I'm a realist" - everyone says that. I really value when people are forthright with me. I know some, I respect them, and I really value what they say, even when it's hard. OTOH, the ones most likely to claim they are ("I just tell it like it is") are also the ones most often just using it as a license to not bear any responsibility for their words. Which doesn't mean there aren't people out there that ARE honest and clear...just that you can't trust someone claiming to be one of them to be accurate.