I
have nothing against honesty. All things
being equal, it is usually the best policy.
But
when someone says, “May I be completely honest with you?” do both of you a
favor and say politely, “No, thank you,” because what follows will probably be
rudeness masquerading as honesty. In
fact, the mask of honesty is worn by a whole host of miscreants these days, the
most insidious of whom are those who have deluded themselves into thinking
they’re actually doing or saying this or that “for your own good.”