Ann Barnhardt is on my radar screen these days. I've seen her criticize being "nice" before, and she does it again in a recent video.
She points out the etymology of the word does not correlate "nicely" with the usual usage of the word today. Originally, the word meant "stupid" or "ignorant". Now, it is generally means to be pleasant and agreeable, or so I thought.
So, it is not always nice to be nice. One can even be "too nice". I've heard someone use that criticism before, but I am not naming names.
Being "nice" may be the ruin of us all, she claims. So, is she right? Is it really stupid to be "nice"?
One of the success principles from the classic self-help book Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude is the quality of a pleasing personality. In other words, being "nice" in that sense of the word. It seems that you can catch more flies with a drop of honey than with a gallon of gall. At least Abe Lincoln thought so. Maybe it is better to be a little more agreeable than not, but I don't know what use I'd have for a bunch of flies.
It is a good idea to be assertive, which is another word that may be helpful in this context. "Nice and assertive" don't go together. That's in contrast to "nice and easy". Even today, a "nice" person can be easily taken advantage of. But an assertive person not so much.
Word usage is a tricky thing. It can be a blunt instrument or a tool with delicate and fine precision. My fondest goal on this blog is to be a word surgeon, but I may be a little too sloppy and lazy for that. Not exactly a nice way of putting it.
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