I've been teaching now for two years, and I love it. There's a lot of reasons for this, but it recently struck me just how much I am able to say what I want at this job. Sure, standing in the front of class yelling "bite me, wankers" would probably hurt my career, quite frankly I'm not often motivated to do such. Here I can generally speak my mind with very little self-censoring, a requirement that stifled me at my previous place of employment as an executive assistant.
For example, if someone came in complaining of not having a stapler for his report, I previously would have been expected to express understanding or even apologize for his inconvenience, volunteer to find a stapler, staple the report and then ask if there's anything else I can do for the person. Now, when a student comes in saying the same thing, I can quip, "That would be poor planning on your part," and go about my business.
I knew the assistant job would be taxing in that area, I just never realized how taxing until I had something to which I could compare it.
I hate putting on false faces. Just abhor it. It earns me the label "tactless," and occasionally I have to reign in the more extreme expressions of it, but in general I'm fine with that summation of myself. I despise forced sincerity and false praise. I am frustrated when I ask for input and people refuse to criticize, as well as when others ask me for input and then are put off when I don't pat them on the head and tell them it's the best I've ever seen.
On the other hand, I also recognize that there are still right ways and wrong ways to express a negative thought. Recently someone protested online, "How can you accuse me of being rude when I'm just expressing my honest opinion?" I can honestly think someone looks like a cow in that dress, but I'm certainly not going to share that unrequested. Even if the person asks for input on her appearance, I'm going to phrase it differently, probably focusing on suggestions to improve the appearance rather than just taking a verbal sledgehammer to her. But I'm not going to shower her with false compliments.
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Regarding fake and forced sincerity, I'm with you on that one. I want people to tell me the damned truth. You don't have to be rude about it either.
I think this attitude of lying to one another comes from our hypersensitivity in our modern-day culture. People have gotten so sensitive they are crushed if they here something that doesn't back up their narcissistic view of themselves.
Frankly, I find this disgusting and repulsive.