Poll: Do you want the truth or something beautiful?

[Disaster Button]

I'm one of those people who tells it like it is most of the time. My best friend asked me the other day if he was stupid for crushing on a girl who lives on the other side of the country? To which I replied, "yes. but even stupider for going on about it all the goddamn time."

So although I probably go a bit too far, because I'm a bit of a dick, I think it's the best way to do things and I'd hate it if someone lied to me about something I wanted a truthful answer for but I know some people prefer it this way. Like my friend who probably wanted me to answer no. He has forgiven me by the way.

But I was wondering what you all think about this:

Do you prefer being lied to, or lying to others?
Or being honestly truthful and like hearing the truth?

Some examples would be wonderful too.

This thread inspiration is brought to you by this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steC-8NSVIw

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

Brutal honesty can be more useful and appreciated than lies.
So I use honesty.

 

[DuplicateValue]

It really depends on the sensitivity of the person you're talking to.

I'd like to hear the truth, though - I can take it.

 

[uncle-ellis]

It would be more enjoyable to here about the happy African village.

But if I did I would feel as if I was cheating myself.

 

[Gigaguy64]

I do tend to be too nice.
But i want to hear the truth and i try and give the truth.
So i lie but want truth.
(im working on the lying part)

 

[starwarsgeek]

It really depends on the situation. If it were something similar to what you described, then, yes. However, in let's say...science and math. I'm happier with 3.14 than I am with 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912279381830119491298336733624406566430860213949463952247371907021798609437027705392171762931767523846748184676694051320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290219608640344181598136297747713099605187072113499999983729780499510597317328160963185950244594553469083026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865875332083814206171776691473035982534904287554687311595628638823537875937519577818577805321712268066130019278766111959092164201989...

 

[Cowabungaa]

I like to hear the truth, because I can improve myself with honest critique, but I won't lie: I'm a sucker for compliments, and if you just tell me the truth in it's most brutal form (like my dad does) there is a big risk you'll just get me down.

So please, be honest, but be at least a bit soft as well, I try to do that as well. Being blunt does no-one any good.

 

[CrysisMcGee]

there's a difference between being honest, and being a dick or a *****. Here's what you do. Be tactful with your words.

 

[Disaster Button]

I do tend to be too nice.
But i want to hear the truth and i try and give the truth.
So i lie but want truth.
(im working on the lying part)

I used to be like that until I realised I was bored listening to people talk about the little meaningless details of their lives so I started letting them know I don't care. Amazingly it hasn't lost me any friends, yet. But that's where my brutal honesty policy probably came from.

 

[historybuff]

Some people have a thing called 'tact', with which they are honest without feeling like they need to prove something by being a dick.

 

[Gigaguy64]

I do tend to be too nice.
But i want to hear the truth and i try and give the truth.
So i lie but want truth.
(im working on the lying part)

I used to be like that until I realised I was bored listening to people talk about the little meaningless details of their lives so I started letting them know I don't care. Amazingly it hasn't lost me any friends, yet. But that's where my brutal honesty policy probably came from.

lol
People respect Honesty more than we usually give them credit for.

 

[SnipErlite]

Truth - always preferable in my opinion.

=]

 

[Isalan]

I'm generally fairly honest, but I am very, very good at lying, so I do tend to lie if the truth is just going to make a lot of trouble for me.

Basically it all comes down to how much trouble lying/truth is gonna cause for me or anyone I like/care about.

 

[Disaster Button]

I prefer truth myself, although being a cynical nihilist (Really, I'm approaching the state of "Last Man", aka the complete opposite of Ubermensch) about 68% of the time... It doesn't take a genius to see where that's going.

I sometimes lie, sometimes tell the truth. Although I think it's better to say the truth in your examples. Although when it comes to lying for personal or overall profit, that's great and awesome. I mean, when the hobo asks you for money of course you "do not have any'. Or similar examples.

Some things are too subjective to be "truthful" about. Like your example. I can't say whether there a long-range relationship is stupid or not - I haven't been in one (of that nature) although I'm keeping fairly long-range contact with a few friends, and that's fun to me. I guess I'm just too much of a nice guy to push my personal beliefs on those who are close to me. It's their lives and they should have the complete control of them. While I'd certainly mention adverse health effects of, say, hard drugs to a friend if he started doing it, and joke around about it reminding him or her... I do not believe it's my job to make them stop.

Yeah the denying hobo lies are always fun. And although I don't push my beliefs, some of the time I am kinda bossy and try to give advice when I care. But this thing with my mate really isn't even funny anymore, they're not in a relationship he just "loves her so much" which sounds kinda like a crush to me. I mean I didn't tell him as such but I did kind of snap when he kept aksing me about her.

 

[Disaster Button]

Some people have a thing called 'tact', with which they are honest without feeling like they need to prove something by being a dick.

Tact's all well and good when it works. Hell I even use it sometimes, but a lot of the time when tact is used people tend to ignore what you're telling them and just take it as a lie and sometimes wind up doing embarasing things because of it. So although being tactful is nice it doesn't always create the desired effect.

 

[Flig]

I tend to tone things down, but I'd rather get the brutal truth. I should probably get a little less hypocritical.

 

[Disaster Button]

The key is a soft touch. A wise man doesn't always do anything, except think.

Soft touches don't always work though. I remember being told that I had the "potential" to be a good streetdancer, little did I know someone was being soft so when I showed it to one of my mates thinking I was good, it didn't go down to well. Was a massive, MASSIVE embarassment.

 

[TheDarkAngel]

I tend to prefer honesty as one lie can lead to another and soon enough you're going to get caught and thats when you may start losing friends.