PC

I used to put a lot of effort into being politically correct and doing my best not to offend anyone. I'm not quite sure when that fell by the wayside, but I imagine it was some point during my time at MIT, when I realized that no one really seems to care if you're PC and not only that, will kinda think you're funny for doing so. Not to mention that most people have no qualms (or at least no sense) about offending you in offhand comments, because you should know the truth.

I've changed my mind. MIT is wrong, and I guess the world in general is wrong, since this seems to be the latest trend. PC is an important concept. Being "honest" and blunt is overrated. Well, maybe not overrated, but it is a characteristic of trust, in a way that you know someone is telling you the truth for your benefit, not to show off how perceptive they are. It's not something to be tossed around because "you should just suck it up and accept the truth." Or the truth the way I tell it, at least.

There is something to be said for being polite, sensitive, and yeah--maybe even white lies. And maybe that makes me a suck-up or a "Sloanie *rolls eyes*" but at the end of the day, I think I'll sleep better knowing that I haven't disparaged anyone unnecessarily and worse--to prove that I'm smart and know what I'm talking about.

That isn't to say that there isn't a place for brutal honesty; I think it's an important part of deep friendship, because we all suck enough that we need someone to remind us every once a while. In job evaluations, I'd much rather someone tell me my weaknesses and how to fix them then to tell me that they're really happy that "I put in a lot of effort." But a lot of times I find myself blurting out things, not really so that someone will be better for hearing it, but just to say it. To prove that I'm smart. Or something. I don't even know.

There was a time that when someone annoyed me, I made an effort to hide it, not show it. What happened to caring more about people's feelings than being cool or having the last laugh?

Anyways, the latest in a series of thoughts about what's wrong with me. But seriously, call me on it if you see me doing it. Be honest. :P