Carol: Rude or honest?
THEWAY I SEE IT... Wise words from our feisty, fearless and funny columnist
‘Just over a year ago, I wrote in this column my mystic predictions for the future. At the time, the lockdown was just one month in and I am genuinely sorry to say that, while I hoped I’d be wrong, I was right about almost everything.
One of my prophecies of doom was that the lockdown and the pandemic would “make us more selfish, wary and untrusting of others; not to mention anti-social, impatient and paranoid”.
I also feared that, “people will forget how to interact with actual human beings” and, given the few social interactions I’ve had since we’ve been allowed to, it’s happening.
I’ve noticed how a lot of previously mild-mannered friends have developed a form of honesty “Tourette’s”, saying things they would never have previously said out loud.
I think it’s down to a combination of impatience, anger and intolerance – all the things I’d predicted. It’s not surprising, given that we’ve had more than a year of our lives stolen from us and as a result, seem to have forgotten about our usual British social graces and reserve. It’s as if people have lost their filters. Is that a good thing? Is honesty the best policy?
I’ve always believed it is, but with boundaries. Because some people can’t handle the truth – so in those cases, lies and politeness are sometimes essential to protect the vulnerable. Whose numbers have also increased since being locked down. So, while some have become offensive, others, many whom I knew to be robust, have been so badly affected by among other things, fear, that they’ve lost their confidence. All we can do is hope that both conditions are temporary.’