Sunday, February 21, 2010

Can I be Honest With You?

In Second Life Moose has heard these words more than a few times.  Another player will be talking then they will say "Can I be ?"  No duh!  Weren't you being honest before?  One shouldn't need to ask if they can be honest.  Why would anyone ask that question?  Why do so many ask it?  OK YES YOU CAN BE HONEST!  You have tha moose's permission!  You have my permission!  In fact when you ask the question, "can i be honest?", one would assume you were being dishonest up to that point, and would resume being dishonest after you were being honest,  for the moment you asked permission.  What that says is you are inherently a liar incapable of being honest without asking permission. or........
Perhaps it isnt permission they seek but they actually want to know if they can be honest.  That is are they capable of being honest.   or...
Many feel they must say what the other wants to hear.  Today one must be politically correct in their speaking or they are could violate some written or unwritten terms of service or hurt someone's feelings.  It seems someone's feelings would be hurt if you lie to them.
Moose ponders on these things then scratches her chins, grabs a chocolate bar, and says, with her mouth full, "PEOPLE IS JUST PLAIN NUTS" 

She goes on:  "Now ya take ole Honest Abraham Lincoln?  Now he wuz honest  He kept the USA together when it wuz flyin apart and he got rewarded with a bullet in tha brain.  So much fur honesty is tha best policy!  Poor Abe should have asked if he could be honest first!  Well I rekon it didn't occur ta ole  Abe ta ask cuz he didnt know no other way but to tell it like it is.  Hmm, ya know, they could sure use Abe now, but he couldnt get elected to no office in Washington nor no where else cuz he wouldn't lie.  Aint that one of them catch 2 plus 2s? or is it catch 4?  or maybe catch 22?"


"Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage."



--Ray Bradbury

2 comments:

  1. It's the same as "With all due respect..."

    I know what's coming next is gonna be disrespectful!

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  2. i myself do not like that phrase so much either. However, i can see what is meant when someone asks that.
    People sometimes sugarcoat things. Or they do not tell "unflattering" things. Just because they do not want to hurt the other one. Often just plain lazyness, since, hurting the other one causes often discussions, tiring, blabla.
    Sometimes it is also not worth the effort. If i would tell each time anyone what i think, uhm...
    different topic....
    When someone says "can i be honest with you..." i interpret it as: "there is a problem i want to adress with you, and i am willing to take my time to tell you about it and to talk it over with you"
    Basically nice, i think

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