Telling the
truth bluntly and rudely, without considering feelings.
While often considered an unlikeable trait, brutal honesty is not inherently bad.
Do you need an opinion on something, but
don't want the person to
lie, lest they make you feel bad? Ask your brutally honest friend. Brutal honesty is also helpful for getting through to
people who live in their own little fantasy world.
For example, in shows such as Kitchen Nightmares and
Hell's Kitchen, do you think Gordon Ramsay would be taken seriously (or be even remotely successful in his goals) if he was polite? Probably not. But here's something to ponder: He actually IS very polite in person, and when someone genuinely wants to improve, he supports them fully; he just doesn't beat around the bush and tells it like it is, because that's what some
people need to hear.
