High Life : A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : To Tell the Truth About Friends: That’s the Question
Would you dare to be this truthful? Hot Topics wonders, “If all of your best friends were willing to be absolutely honest and tell you exactly what they liked about you and what they didn’t like, would you want them to?”
“I would, because identifying faults is the first step in correcting them.” Hilary Ahern, 17, senior, Sunny Hills
“No. Teen-agers are the worst critics of themselves. If someone would be honest, more than likely it would cause some damage to my ego. I already am insecure enough.” Chris Hecht, 16, sophomore, Los Alamitos
“Yes. Maybe I worry too much about what other people think, but I like my friends to be happy with me.”
James Mills, 16, junior, Marina
“No, because I’d be afraid of what they’d say and what they really thought of me.”
Meredith Shoup, 17,junior, Santa Margarita
“Sure, if they did it with the intentions of helping me improve my faults. If they were going to just rag on me, well, they can just keep it to themselves.” Hallie Kim, 15, sophomore, Brea-Olinda
“No, because that gets too negative, and too many feelings will get hurt if everyone is completely honest. I think the reason I still have friends is because we’re all not completely honest with each other.” Rommel Anacan, 17, senior, Loara
“Yes, because I can improve myself and change my bad personality. I think we would need to be good friends.” Amy Hsu, 15, freshman, Sonora
“No, because I feel it would do irreparable damage to our friendship. Everyone has faults; emphasis does not need to be placed on the negative aspects of a person.” Jenni Lin, 17, senior, Laguna Hills
“Yes, because honest friends are the best.” Emily Kingdon, 16, sophomore, Esperanza
“No, because everybody has a secret they keep.” Matt Schellinkhout, 16, junior, St. Michael’s Prep
“My best friends already do that. That’s what makes them best friends.” Melanie Jager, 17, senior, Marina
“No, because then you’d have to be truthful with your friends.” Zak Morrison, 14, freshman, St. Margaret’s
“Yes, because honesty is the best policy. Besides, no one is perfect, and a little criticism can help you become a better person.” Andy Smith, 17, senior, Brea-Olinda
“I agree that if the truth was always told, you could improve yourself, but I think too many feelings would be hurt.” Jennie Myers, 16, sophomore, Loara
“Yes if it was good; no if it was bad.” Kathleen See, 17, senior, St. Margaret’s
“No, because I try my hardest to be a good friend, and if there is something they don’t like about me, I wouldn’t change myself for another person.” Jen Maddock, 16, junior, Santa Margarita
“Yes, because if they don’t, then how do you know if they’re real friends and not talking behind your back and telling other people things about you?” Anissa Villagomez, 14, freshman, Sonora
“Honesty is good, but sometimes it can hurt, so I would only want constructive criticism.” Kelly Wright, 16, junior, Los Alamitos
“Probably not, because I know I’m perfect. Ha-ha.” Andrew George, 18, senior, Laguna Hills
“Yes, because I want to know what bugs people about me so I can work on it.” Amber Howle, 17, senior, Esperanza
“Yes, because if they were really my friends, I would know that I could benefit from what their opinions were. I believe friendship should include open and honest communication.” Lisa Yun, 15, sophomore, Sunny Hills
“No, because if they had something bad to say, it would anger me.” Robb Freese, 17, senior, Marina
“Yes. It would give me a chance to compare other people’s perceptions of me and my perception of myself. Plus it is also good to know what your best friends are thinking about.” Jason Hsu, 18, senior, Brea-Olinda
“Yes. Actually I prefer that my friends tell me things about me to help me become more tolerable.” Chong Pak, 16, sophomore, Loara
Next Week’s Hot Topic: What’s the sneakiest thing you’ve ever done?