On my way to work this morning, the morning show I listen to was discussing telling the truth.  Should we filter what we say or be completely honest, no matter what?  Their examples were telling a friend you love her designer purse she spent her entire savings on then calling other friends to discuss its ugliness, or a friend who was visiting and said "I hate your wallpaper in the bathroom."  

Why would civilized people do either?  Maybe I'm getting too old for this station (Cosmo radio if you must know) but I don't get it.  I can't see doing either thing.  Instead of being on the extreme side of the paramaters, I'm more of the "if it is important, then speak up" line of thinking.

So what if we don't like our friend's new clothes/purse/flooring/car colour?  What does it really matter in the long run? If our friend is happy, why ruin their day (and chip away at their confidence) by saying how ugly we might think it to be?  I'd rather save my complete honesty for when it is really important, like if she was considering passing up her dream job, selling her house to live in a commune, marry someone abusive... something major.  Something life-altering, something important.

Who cares if her wallpaper or purse are ugly?