I’d like to know: how many men have (or, to be fair, can imagine) the experience of being invited, sometimes enthusiastically, to ‘speak their minds’ and then, when they do, have some people important to them shrink away in perplexity (‘This is too weird for me’ or some other such covering) and/or downright horror? When I was not quite three, I witnessed my father’s boss degrading him in a way on which I’d rather not elaborate.
I tried to tell my mom about this at the time. When she understood what I was trying to say, her reaction was that of Macbeth being told Birnam Wood might be moving. I think I remember her kicking me across the kitchen. And, till that point, telling the truth was what I learned.
For how much are our SOs ready? My late first wife, God bless and keep her, was such an honest woman as we men need our partners to be. My current wife seems to be as well. I just hope our listeners realize what they might be hearing and are ready to go through it with us!