Do you keep it real on here? Or do you tell peeps what they want to hear?

[joannatsf]

im fairly honest here...

almost to a fault sometimes.

I give people my honest opinion, in a constructive manner... if they don't like it, sorry. Sometimes the truth hurts....

I will never tell someone what they want to hear, just because they want to hear that.... its unfair to them and me.

I agree with tink... im more careful here with things like sarcasm... the internet is often misunderstood...
R >

I think it's the schadenfreude that puts people off, Rachel.

[Ell]

in the US, lotsa people feel that way too, unfortunately.
a convincing episode of House last night declared friendliness symptomatic of disease.

but actually it works more like this: it depends on who you're with

if you're with your children (regardless of their age) you better be a sweetheart. or else.
if you're with friends, you had better be nice. or else.
if you're walking in the city, among strangers, you had better be polite and considerate. or else. (but without seeming vulnerable)
if you are spending the day by yourself, walking through the wilderness, you had better be sweet, gentle, and polite. or else.
if you're with your dog, or cat, you had better be a real sweetheart. or else.

the idea that anytime's a great time to be rude and inconsiderate of others' feelings is way over-played and leads to alot of unnecessary unhappiness.

-Ellie{L}

Hi Ellie sweets, That was beautiful what you posted above.

Cindy

oh, thank you Cindy.

[Alyssa M.]

im fairly honest here...

almost to a fault sometimes.

I give people my honest opinion, in a constructive manner... if they don't like it, sorry. Sometimes the truth hurts....

I will never tell someone what they want to hear, just because they want to hear that.... its unfair to them and me.

I agree with tink... im more careful here with things like sarcasm... the internet is often misunderstood...
R >

Well, you certainly call it like you see it! The Internet is a rough place for fragile egos. That's just a fact of life. I'd say yours is one of the less fragile egos around these parts.

I think it's the schadenfreude that puts people off, Rachel.

As prickly as she can be, I don't think I've ever seen Rachael delighting in other people's suffering. She might lack sympathy at times, but that's hardly the same as schadenfreud. (And I'm not sure she's all that worried if she puts some people off sometimes.)

[buttercup]

I think in real life being nice all the time doesn't do you any favours.   

in the US, lotsa people feel that way too, unfortunately.
a convincing episode of House last night declared friendliness symptomatic of disease.

but actually it works more like this: it depends on who you're with

if you're with your children (regardless of their age) you better be a sweetheart. or else.
if you're with friends, you had better be nice. or else.
if you're walking in the city, among strangers, you had better be polite and considerate. or else. (but without seeming vulnerable)
if you are spending the day by yourself, walking through the wilderness, you had better be sweet, gentle, and polite. or else.
if you're with your dog, or cat, you had better be a real sweetheart. or else.

the idea that anytime's a great time to be rude and inconsiderate of others' feelings is way over-played and leads to alot of unnecessary unhappiness.

-Ellie{L}

I agree totally Ellie and I think I am as nice as I can be in all those situations.  I suppose I meant it in a way that when someone messes with me, I give as good as I get.  I'm honest about that, I have been taken as a fool way too many times in the past and I won't take cr*p from nobody.  I have a deep love and regard for children, animals and even nature.   
I am a product of the foster-care system, which makes me fiercely protective of my privacy (of which I had none as a child), and of my loved ones and I mistrust most strangers and governmental institutions. 
Being an overly 'nice' child and young adult seeking everyone's approval led me to a lot of grief and despair.  I've realised that pandering to the strongest and loudest (at school, work or friends environment) is not being fair to others who are more deserving of my attention.  People, as you say, that are kind, polite, considerate and of course, innocent deserve to be treated likewise. ( That includes all cats and dogs and nature, of course.)  So in my defense I say, mistreat me or my loved ones, yes, I will unleash the bitch.
Now on a forum, it is a different situation as it is a controlled environment. You can edit, delete, skip through, ignore etc, but that is not real life.  What is done is done, what is said is said and cannot be taken back.  Yep, I like keeping it real.

[cindybc]

Hi, Buttercup, I understand what you speak of. I had wonderful loving parents and truly had a good childhood except at school. I am an empath so yes, I too love nature and have always cared for others.  There were times I was used, abused, beaten, harassed, and even raped, so I am quite familiar with what life on the street is about.  I lived there for five years. But I still try to help those I believe are in need but I am just that much more wary for those who would use me.

Leopards will never change their spots.  But working as a social worker I have acquired a more conscious way of understanding the environment I work in. As far as people expressing their feelings in real life or on a message board, you would be surprised how well some can express their feelings on a message board with point blank clarity. I suppose this is one of the many reasons why we have moderators or the disorder could grow to bedlam proportions.

Message boards with an even greater membership than this one just disappear over night, like, "POOF!!"  Maybe I have been extremely lucky that my life for the last couple decades has been peaceful and I still do the rescue missions thing.  I believe that a message board is probably one of the safest modes of communications, thanks to the mods who donate their time to assure that a board remains a friendly place to share with others.

Cindy

[Sarah]

Real.
What people want isn't nearly so important as doing what is good and following my intuition.
To me anyway.
It's good to see you Nero.

[Elwood]

So far I've been as sincere as possible. The only thing I've been "dishonest" about is when I feel like saying something really bitchy or mean, I decide to say nothing at all.