Well, honesty Is the best policy, and no one wants to be polite to a fault.
Honesty by far wins out over politeness. However the two work best when hand in hand. It's easy to be polite and dishonest at the same time (think politician). Being honest without being polite (tact) makes one a total jerk.
So someone shows up just to insult you. Someone you haven't talked to in YEARS. Now normally I always thank folks for taking the time to reply. Must I needs thank someone for the insult? Stay true to my MO or should I adjust it according to the occasion? I opted for honesty recently and I do not regret it. HOWEVER I posited that in my reply. It's what I do. Would you too? Thank you for your reply Shuhak! :)
Why would anyone thank someone for an insult? Smack 'em upside the head, maybe, but not thank them. That would only be feeding their rudeness.
Being honest is being open, trustworthy and truthful. Being polite is having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people. As I said, they go best hand in hand - being honest AND polite.
Well at first my thought was to simply ignore. I ignore insulters every day all the time.Why should I waste any time at all on them when I have much better fish to fry so to speak? But this one I hadn't heard from in YEARS! From Answerbag no less. She shows up to insult me? Seriously. Well I could have smacked the crap outta her but I chose not to do so and I'm really glad. I simply called her on it VERY Politely and then shared with her my dilemma. Do I thank her for her reply which my MO is to do as you very well know or do I slap the crap outta her? I did neither. I told her that I had to figure out which reply would be best FOR ME. Being polite and following my MO or not being polite at all and being the opposite. So she saw the options but I did not take either one. That was enough for me and I doubt I shall ever see her again. Because as she well knows I will cut her down to size the next time. This time I felt benevolent. It happens! Thank you for your reply Shuhak. Do you smack the crap out of rude insulters or do you never ever have to endure them? I attract them. But to my very good luck I also attract the best and the brightest and I think they more than cancel out the DRAMA QUEEN ilk. :)
This post was edited by RosieG at August 24, 2021 12:41 PM MDT
There should be a balance between the two if at all possible. However, in the end, honesty should always prevail. And sometimes honesty needs to dispatch with politeness to achieve that goal.
Shuhak 