Some always seem to say "I'm only telling it like it is!" -- and the vast majority of the time they say that, it seems to me they use it as an excuse to simply be cruel and mean.
To me, when some people have said it, often they then begin to just be mean, nasty. "Let me tell you about that person - - here's the real truth about them . . . (they then tell nasty things that, to me, are questionable and uncalled for to share; then they finish by saying - - ) . . . hey, I'm only telling it like it is!" And they're usually smiling when they say it.
The subject matter could be the person's thoughts/opinions about pretty much anything -- people, controversial topics, politics, whatever.
I know I am possibly overly-sensitive about the phrase but it seems often to be an excuse for some people to say whatever they want to, without any self-control. If I say "I'm only telling it like it is," I can say whatever I want.
Rather than saying, and actually admitting, "Here's what I think about this . . ." or "Here's my opinion," some people seem to just cover their words with "I'm only telling it like it is" -- as if their thoughts and opinions MUST be the absolute truth; they're "telling it like it is"; they believe they have access to the real truth that their listeners don't have. But I often find their "truth" to be an excuse to be nasty.
I know I've just ranted. What I shared here is just my opinion.
This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at December 18, 2018 3:43 PM MST