[thom]

Pretty sure my parents damaged, if not ended, several friendships over the years due to this monstrosity. Always found it alluring.

[xpe]

The rules of the game encourage a winnowing over time. Honesty is a useful strategy much of the time. The fact that it is a strategy, not a life code, bothers people.

But this is a game of geopolitics and power. Many people aren't comfortable with the implications.

I think people are jolting by realizing, one way or the other, how easily they are manipulated.