Mason  🏃‍♂️ ✂️

I think this is a much cleaner poll. I also think it's not going to get you a great read on the situation, because everyone would prefer to be the sort of person who receives painful news or critical feedback just fine.

I know I've talked a lot of friends back from an emotional ledge after someone they liked explicitly told them they weren't interested. If they're persistent, there may be no other way. But it's often just not that hard to walk away from a first date without leaving scar tissue.

I think if I had had this more than I've had people being upset about being ghosted, flaked on, led on, I'd have the same opinion as you.

*stage whisper* what are the gender breakdowns of the people you two are talking about

I'm curious if you think men or women are likelier to desire an honest but gentle rejection. I genuinely can't tell, nor could I predict which is the case.

Presumably men? I have a lot of male friends, but — understandably — I don't think they've wanted to talk to me about being rejected. FWIW, I haven't outright rejected many men, and I wouldn't know how they took it. A few have been verbally abusive on the spot, but not many.

In my experience, women generally have a handful of insecurities they obsess over and if you make it clear that you're not interested in them they will assume it is for those reasons. Generally something like "I'm fat/ugly/old."