"I'm just being honest!"

I am so tired of that excuse when people are assholes... Like Jeffrey on Project Runway... yes, I know, I'm ranting because of reality television. Whatever. And what's with that paranoia, by the way?!

Anyhow... I know I've written something along these lines before, but it still gets in my craw and won't stop driving me crazy. People who do this are treating honesty like it's some sort of absolute truth. They are giving their opinion, which is a judgmental, rude one. Whatever. Have that opinion. But don't hide behind "honesty" like it's some sort of badge of honor--I'm a stronger person than you, I say asshole things and hurt people's feelings because I'm honest. I exist at a higher level of self-awareness than you do. I have no regard for the fact that I am not the only person or only opinion in this world.

No! Fuck you. You just get pleasure and self-satisfaction out of being a jerk. And the thing that gets to me so much is that many of the people who use "I'm just being honest" or "I'm a bitch, what can I tell you?!" excuses are often liberal, progressive people who consider themselves open-minded, creative, and avant-garde. The one thing I have learned in my oh-so-many years on this earth is that liberal is not the same as open-minded. And that's a very important distinction to make... and no, open-minded about what chemicals you ingest is not what I'm talking about... Yes, I'm talking about you.

When the socially-open, supposedly caring people of my generation spend their time cutting other people down in the name of "honesty", it's no wonder everything's going further into the crapper. I don't expect us all to get along or to live in some naive peace utopia. But some basic human courtesy would certainly help things along. Especially when "liberals" are the people who are supposed to protect the rights of others during Bush's ushering of the New Dark Ages.

What?! I'm just being honest!