Is Rudeness Ever Necessary?

I've always been curious about the case of Dr. Terry Bennett. He's the doctor accused and sued by some of his patients as being too rude in what he says to them. Dr. Bennett denies some of the claims. There's no way the public is going to know if, or how many of, the complaints are legitimate. However, let's face it. Some people are just plain rude and do not consider how their words affect the listener.

From The Associated Press article on MSNBC, July 7, 2006 called No wrist-slap for name-calling rude doctor:

Judge Edward Fitzgerald made clear in a ruling
released Thursday that he did not condone remarks attributed to Dr. Terry
Bennett and found them unnecessary, but ruled Bennett had a right to speak
bluntly.“It is nonetheless important ... to ensure that physicians and patients
are free to discuss matters relating to health without fear of government
reprisal, even if such discussions may sometimes be harsh, rude or offensive to
the listener,” he concluded in the ruling Wednesday.

In our own interactions with friends, family, co-workers---everyone, I think there is a difference between being rude and being blunt, but the line between the two can be very wavy.

• Do you feel you've been blunt with someone yet weren't being rude?
• When do you think it's advisable to be rude or blunt?
• How can you protect a person's feelings while being blunt?

I'm eager to hear what others think about this.

All comments are moderated, but I'll pick out several to post. Check back in a couple of days to hear what others have to say. If you would like to provide a link to your site, let me know and I'll include that.