Just that there are people on the forum who may self-harm or may feel despondent to do anything or hurt someone else. I did live with someone who dealt wit
Yeah, but I (personally) don't know how to take responsibility for that - and I don't want to. People have got to be able to mind their own safety, on some level.
I think that straight talk works when it's coupled with a dash of empathy. Just a little remembering of 'I know that place'. I think it automatically adjusts the tone of even the bluntest statement. Doesn't soften it, just gives it efficacy.
But when the person talking straight is doing so purely for their own benefit - whether it's just to hear themselves talk, or to maintain their position as 'the blunt one', (a thing that matters only to them) or to provoke a reaction (because they thrive on conflict)...that's when I have a strong desire to hit back, because it's as if they have no consciousness that there's a person on the other side of the table, or other side of the screen. They don't have to care about their persons feelings. Just recognize their humanity.
Everyone's got an opinion; everyone's got a reaction. We can control our own reaction, and we can control where we decide to disseminate our opinion.
I don't react well to people who use a persona as an excuse to deliver pot-shots or attempt to manipulate responses.
Some people are authentically blunt. Some are using it as an excuse to spout their particular brand of bullshit, just to hear themselves talk.
I work with a guy like that - he thinks he's the truth police, and it's taxing to interact with. I absorb too much of it, instead of letting it go or speaking my mind. It seems easier just to let him ramble. But I think long run, it's maybe not. Tolerating someone's bad behavior isn't necessarily helping them, or me.