Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - Your friend puts out an album, gives you a copy, and asks your opinion. Honestly?

kafka · 9th March 2010

Well, let's talk about how much honesty is happening in this exchange. How much do they really value your opinion? Did they consult with you during the process? Did they ask you for your vision, hoping to incorporate it to the final product? Did they trust you with their ideas before it was complete? Or, did they keep the whole thing out of your sight, and then spring it on you once the entire project was completed? How much of your honesty do they really want?

Look, you may hate the album today, and like it tomorrow. You may be so enamored with your friendship that you're completely blinded by it's flaws, and think it's the greatest thing since Beethoven's 9th. Or, you may harbor a secret lust for you friend's girlfriend, and you just want to run the whole thing down to get with her. Or maybe you're bipolar, and you alternate between the two every other day.

The point is, you don't owe anybody your opinion. You only owe it to people to be honest about factual matters, and there is no fact behind opinion. You can phrase it any way you like, and if they respect you, they'll take your expression as-is. But if they won't, then your honesty is not the thing that is missing from the relationship.

9th March 2010	#3
kafka Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 4,267	Well, let's talk about how much honesty is happening in this exchange. How much do they really value your opinion? Did they consult with you during the process? Did they ask you for your vision, hoping to incorporate it to the final product? Did they trust you with their ideas before it was complete? Or, did they keep the whole thing out of your sight, and then spring it on you once the entire project was completed? How much of your honesty do they really want? Look, you may hate the album today, and like it tomorrow. You may be so enamored with your friendship that you're completely blinded by it's flaws, and think it's the greatest thing since Beethoven's 9th. Or, you may harbor a secret lust for you friend's girlfriend, and you just want to run the whole thing down to get with her. Or maybe you're bipolar, and you alternate between the two every other day. The point is, you don't owe anybody your opinion. You only owe it to people to be honest about factual matters, and there is no fact behind opinion. You can phrase it any way you like, and if they respect you, they'll take your expression as-is. But if they won't, then your honesty is not the thing that is missing from the relationship. __________________ - It looks just like a Telefunken U47 - with leather. You'll love it ... - Jazz is not dead - it just smells funny. - It doesn't make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.