Honesty vs. courtesy

Tell me, dear readers, which of the two is worse?

A person who dislikes you for exceedingly petty reasons, yet is overly nice to your face?

Or a person who dislikes you for exceedingly petty reasons and acts cold as ice towards you?

(And, why yes, this is related to my last post, thanks for asking.)

15 Responses to “Honesty vs. courtesy”

  1. pinkjellybaby says:

    The first one is worse. I know someone like this and she makes me grind my teeth in rage. Why be nice if you don’t like someone? If you both know they don’t like you, what’s the point? It’s not courteous, it’s just fake.

  2. mae says:

    I feel like I should choose the latter now, but I know if it happens to me and whenever I’m put in the situation I’d be choosing the former any day. I’m probably weird like that. Rather be lied to than confronted.

  3. smidge says:

    The first one is worse. Id rather have honesty!

  4. Elle Bee says:

    If I don’t like someone, I’m courteous and respectful to their face, but not overly nice. It’s a waste of energy to be nice to someone who probably doesn’t like you anyway… I’d rather have the honesty (second option) so I can invest in good times with people who like me.

  5. Beyond Alice says:

    The first is worse, I think. Don’t be fake. I have a very hard time being nice to someone when I truly dislike them (not that it happens often!!!) and even when I TRY to be nice, I think I still come off as cold as ice.

  6. Angela says:

    I think people need to be polite and considerate to everyone, even if you dislike someone. So, I think the second one is worse.

  7. Smilf says:

    For me the first one is worse. I hate fake people more than almost anything. If someone doesn’t like me, I would rather know it. I would also rather them just stay the hell away from me rather than be mean to me though :)

  8. Kendall says:

    For me, the second one is because if the person is faking it and I don’t know them well enough, then it is going to be pretty dang hard for me to tell.

  9. FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com says:

    The first one. I don’t like fake people. I’d rather them not be nice to me.

  10. Mandy says:

    I think the first one is worse. Fake is much worse than showing they’re true feelings. I’d rather just have it out in the open

  11. BS says:

    I always thought that this was a regional thing. The first one is very Californian/Southern and the second one is very New England/Tri-state. I’m a Californian by birth, but some aspects of my personality are pure New England, so I strongly prefer the latter.

  12. Emma says:

    A person who acts overly nice is the worst.

    If you’re going to believe something, show it. Don’t hide behind a wall of lies.

  13. Stacey says:

    If someone dislikes me, I’d rather they are cold (but hopefully at least respectful) towards me rather than acting overly nice and then trashing me behind my back.

  14. Sara says:

    A little of both?

    I know someone who has no obvious reason to dislike me as I have always been generous and thoughtful towards them. They go through phases of blatant rudeness to my face to being overly pleasant. I think it’s easier to handle her when she’s rude because I feel justified in my dislike that I hide under the surface. When she’s being fake and bubbly, it means that I have to continue being nice to someone who I know dislikes me, if that makes any sense. I have to be nice to her already out of obligation, but it’s like insult to injury because at the very surface my frustration no longer seems justified.

  15. Steve says:

    Hey, what’s up with no new posts?

    I don’t care what someone thinks about anyone else as long as they’re polite to their face.

    A few times I’ve run across people I didn’t particularly care for at the first few meetings, but after a few more began to warm to them or they to me or perhaps they changed or maybe my perspective did. If I had acted cold toward them the subsequent relationship (what little I allow with anyone not involved in my life…time, kids, job usually determine this) would never have had opportunity.

    On the other hand, if the are polite to my face and trashing me behind my back, I am assured through experience that the hearers are well aware of this person’s two-facedness and give their words little credability and them little respect.

    By the bye; like your stuff, keeping writing.

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