In street parlance, being real carries plenty of added value and goes well with white high top trainers, an aggressive pout and one of those elaborate handshakes that just drags on and on, like a diplomatic crisis set in the Cold War.

But then, being real is about as authentic as a bildungsroman that traces the rise of a rapper from the reheated baked beans of the hood to the chilled champagne of stardom.

And thank goodness for that, because being brutally honest is exactly what it says on the label – brutal.

But that doesn’t stop people from telling all and sundry what they think about their parents, spouses, friends and enemies.

Just click your way to your Facebook profile and see what your friends are saying about what she wore last night, how knee-achingly boring their friend’s wedding was, and what a disappointment the new boyfriend has proven to be.

You are what you share- Charles Leadbeater

Not to mention tagging their parents with the inevitable Philip Larkin quote.

Of course, hiding behind a monitor and a keyboard gives people a tin armour of false courage. But that doesn’t blunt the cutting edge of their comments. Just imagine what life would be like if everyone had to be forthright about anyone and anything.

If you had to tell your best friend what you really think about their halitosis, they wouldn’t be your best friend for much longer. What if a husband had to learn what his wife says about him to her girlfriends over a boozy lunch?

And if you had to give your dad your honest opinion about his new car, you can be sure no taxi service will be forthcoming come Saturday night.

You know, it’s like the everyman fantasy of being able to read other people’s minds. Admittedly, it would be fun at first. But in the long term, knowing what other people are thinking will take away the surprise element of life and send curiosity – the very essence which fuels our every endeavour – to an early grave.

So keep your private thoughts to yourself because they are yours. And anyway, we might not be that interested after all.

techeditor@timesofmalta.com