Thanks for the kind words guys. I do what i can, when i can.
What i have found is that if one shares honest opinions with any group of people, you are bound to step on someone's toes sooner or later. As such, i can see why some reviewers try to "soft shoe" the audience i.e. they don't want to alienate or offend someone based on their personal preferences. We ask for honest points of view and reviews yet when someone shares what is exactly on their mind and what they like, there are those that criticize those thoughts and cry "charlatan" simply because they don't see eye to eye on the subject.
With that in mind, I learned a long time ago that you gain nothing by being wishy-washy. I've also found that there are ways to make negative comments that get the message across without decapitating the person that you are communicating with. Nobody likes to be talked down to regardless of their position in life or for that matter, the gear that they own. As such, i try to keep that in mind but sometimes slip back into the "neanderthal" mode that dwells within.
The bottom line to me is to stick by your guns and be honest. You never have to go back and cover your ass if you speak the truth. Granted, there are ways to do so and not start a riot, but you'll always find opponents to the truth regardless of what the subject is. There would be nothing left to "cover up" if we used this approach and studied every subject with an open mind.
In the long run, some people might not like you for sharing your honest opinions. Those that know that you don't "pull punches" will come to know exactly what to expect out of you and respect you for your honesty. They might not always agree with you, but they will at least respect you as they know that you are not going to bullshit them. As such, i would rather have someone hate me for being honest than to have someone like me based on a bunch of lies. The earlier approach feels a lot more natural to me while the latter approach only seems to work for politicians : )
Take me or leave me, but at least you know exactly where i stand. Sean
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What i have found is that if one shares honest opinions with any group of people, you are bound to step on someone's toes sooner or later. As such, i can see why some reviewers try to "soft shoe" the audience i.e. they don't want to alienate or offend someone based on their personal preferences. We ask for honest points of view and reviews yet when someone shares what is exactly on their mind and what they like, there are those that criticize those thoughts and cry "charlatan" simply because they don't see eye to eye on the subject.
With that in mind, I learned a long time ago that you gain nothing by being wishy-washy. I've also found that there are ways to make negative comments that get the message across without decapitating the person that you are communicating with. Nobody likes to be talked down to regardless of their position in life or for that matter, the gear that they own. As such, i try to keep that in mind but sometimes slip back into the "neanderthal" mode that dwells within.
The bottom line to me is to stick by your guns and be honest. You never have to go back and cover your ass if you speak the truth. Granted, there are ways to do so and not start a riot, but you'll always find opponents to the truth regardless of what the subject is. There would be nothing left to "cover up" if we used this approach and studied every subject with an open mind.
In the long run, some people might not like you for sharing your honest opinions. Those that know that you don't "pull punches" will come to know exactly what to expect out of you and respect you for your honesty. They might not always agree with you, but they will at least respect you as they know that you are not going to bullshit them. As such, i would rather have someone hate me for being honest than to have someone like me based on a bunch of lies. The earlier approach feels a lot more natural to me while the latter approach only seems to work for politicians : )
Take me or leave me, but at least you know exactly where i stand. Sean
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