Famously,
when a woman in the UK asks, "Do I look good in this dress?", it’s
deemed to be an emotionally charged question with implied expectations that
hinder the honesty of the answer. It’s similar to when a male asks his chum “Do
you think my new girlfriend is good looking?”, and if he thinks ‘no’, he’s in
trouble. 😀
Emotionally charged questions with implied expectations are difficult for society because they promote dishonesty or false reassurance, which means it becomes harder to know what people honestly think and believe.
This is another reason why the widespread assault on free speech is so damaging to society. When people are reluctant to say what they honestly think or believe, for fear of reprisal or backlash, they start to say what they think society expects them to say, and the truth of what people really think gets lost in a morass of lies, dishonest consensus, and social performance.
Assaults on free speech become assaults on truthseeking, honesty and integrity.
