[nathan_compton]

Its rarely the case that speaking without considering other people's feelings will be the optimal method of getting what you want, even if you are a sociopath and what you want doesn't have anything to do with other people's well beings. In fact, sociopaths are a great example: they are typically quite adept at communicating in such a way as to ingratiate themselves with others. If even a sociopath gets this, then you might want to consider the wisdom of following suit.