Honesty and ass-kicking

“I have this policy about honesty and ass-kicking: which is that if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.”

Quote from Taylor Mali’s What Teachers Make which is a poem that is performed in this video. Performance poetry is called Spoken Word Poetry. Other videos on Taylor Mali’s Website

One painful thing, that is also humorous and ironic, is that there are a substantial number of people who ask you to be honest and blunt with them, and then when you do, they explode in anger and indignation.

If you listened to them, you’d believe it is because you are just wrong, wrong, wrong in every single way.

But if you can catch it from just the right angle (which is hard to do with an irate and indignant person in your face), the situation is really really funny. You asked for it, so I had to let you have it.

I will do you the honor of taking you at your word. If you explode afterwards, I am old enough and wise enough to know that is a reflection on your character.