this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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Sure, "nice" needs some definition.

But that's your call. I'm asking you if you are a nice person.

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[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 25 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Iβ€˜d say Iβ€˜m honest and loyal, not particularly nice. To me nice means diplomatic, charismatic and with low temper.

[–] Dirk@lemmy.ml 5 points 5 months ago

Came here to say that.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[–] AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca 15 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I'm afraid not, I've never been to France much less be familiar enough to claim to be one of them.

[–] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 months ago

It's very dry there.

[–] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I like to think I am. I used to be a piece of shit, and I've worked really hard over the last 9 years to become a better person. I don't always succeed, as the old demons like to pop their heads out every now and again, but I do put forth great effort most times.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 3 points 5 months ago

We're all on a journey. None of us have arrived. The effort counts.

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 12 points 5 months ago

Depends. I default to being friendly, but I’m not good at it. I’m a terrible conversationalist, and what is logical to me (from my perspective) often gets misconstrued as being an asshole. It’s never my intention, but I’m awful at reading people too. I just never really took the time to learn how to… people.

[–] Glide@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I take "nice" to mean something very different than "good" or "kind". No, I am not a nice person. I am inclined to be an honest asshole over a nice liar. I try my best to be good, kind, understanding, etc., but "nice" is, in my books, more about manners than good acts or genuine understanding. And I generally feel that time and effort spent on attempting to be "nice" is much better spent on genuinely empathizing with and supporting people, even when that support isn't kind or well-mannered at a glance.

I think I just take issue with the word "nice".

[–] Crankpork 10 points 5 months ago

I try to be, but don’t always hit the mark.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 5 months ago

I'm a pheasant plucker.

[–] Chuymatt 8 points 5 months ago

No. I am kind. I am genuine. I am not nice. I have become too tired to put on a mask anymore.

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 7 points 5 months ago

No.. In my defence...

β€œNice people made the best Nazis. My mom grew up next to them. They got along, refused to make waves, looked the other way when things got ugly and focused on happier things than β€œpolitics.” They were lovely people who turned their heads as their neighbors were dragged away. You know who weren’t nice people? Resisters.”– Naomi Shulman

[–] HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone 7 points 5 months ago

No. I aspire to be kind to people that need kindness, though.

[–] bloodfart@lemmy.ml 6 points 5 months ago
[–] gerryflap@feddit.nl 6 points 5 months ago

Hopefully, most of the time. I feel like I'm generally friendly and helpful, and compared to many people around me I feel like I don't let myself get to carried away with anger or frustration. I'm not too good at showing it though. Due to autism I feel like there's a bit of a difference between how society expects people to show friendliness and how I do it. I'm quite reserved and I usually don't randomly show up or give gifts or something. I generally don't care about my own birthday and such, and therefore I'll also not think about those things for others. I try to detect when it does matter to people, and think of something to do or give, but honestly these expectations really stress me out.

I can definitely be a bit of an asshole sometimes though. I don't like people talking nonsense. In places where it matters, like work, want direct communication, with as little weaseling around as possible. No big words, no politics. So I will be that person that asks the "rude" and difficult question if it's necessary. I'm also quite stubborn, and require strong argumentation to actually be convinced of something. I've become more aware of this, so I tend to think twice nowadays to ensure that I'm really fighting a fight worth fighting and don't let myself get carried away too much with debating minor things.

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I try to be, but people often tell me that I sound annoyed/aggressive even when I'm trying not to be.

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[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 months ago

Absolutely not. I’m rude to people (just check my post history) and often passive aggressive. I have little patience for people and am often not in a good mood. I don’t help people much and don’t get any pleasure out of it. To me, there is always a 50/50 chance the next person I see/meet may try and hurt or kill me at any moment so I am always on the lookout.

So far, so good. But no, I would never classify me as a good person by any metric.

[–] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 5 months ago

Simple answer: No.

[–] thelardboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 5 months ago

I'm a lovely person to everyone until they show me that they don't deserve it. After that, they are dead to me. Unfortunately, one of the people who has shown me that they don't deserve my time or respect is me, so i treat myself like shit. This does not work out so well for me.

[–] FookReddit69@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago

No. But the world isn't a nice place.

A lot of people in this thread appear to be pretty hard on themselves. There seems to be a trend of people who want to be nice, are trying to be nice, but don't see themselves as nice. If that sounds like you, then I've got some good news for you:

You are a nice person.

If you're sincerely making the effort to be a better person then that's admirable. Self improvement is hard. Too often people are quick to judge based on the result of your actions rather than the effort that's put into them. To put it another way, we judge people by their actions but judge ourselves by our intentions.

Treat yourself to the niceness that you're trying to show to other people. You're doing the best you can. You're trying to be a nicer person which means you're trying to grow. From tiny seedlings grow mighty oaks, and the seedling shouldn't be shamed for starting its journey. Rather, it should be encouraged to keep growing.

If you find it difficult to be nice, but you're trying to be a nice person, I'd say that's a lot nicer than being the person who dismisses another for not being 'nice' enough.

no. but i try to forgive myself for not taking the opportunity. imo, it is a skill that forms through a lot of interactions. a form of rizz. and to me, it doesn't come as natural.

[–] palarith@aussie.zone 4 points 5 months ago
[–] crmsnbleyd@sopuli.xyz 4 points 5 months ago

I'm anxious and avoidant and opportunistic. I try to make up for it when I feel able to.

[–] Vaggumon@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

Only to those deserving.

[–] BlackRing@midwest.social 4 points 5 months ago

No.

I am a good person with a capacity for kindness. The difference? It's not reflex.

Nice is the guy waving you through at a stop sign when it's their turn. Sure there's good intention, but seriously? No.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 months ago

I don't think I am, I often regret things I say or do. Even little things.

[–] Corno@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

I get told I'm one of the nicest and most polite people they've met, so I think there is something to it... I try my best to be friendly and helpful to people, and treat people how I want to be treated! πŸ€—

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 3 points 5 months ago

In person to people i dont know or dont hate I'm nice in my intent and my actions but I am sometimes mean in communication unintentionally and intentionally.

On the internet it's different. Because on the internet I am often interacting with people I will never meet or never properly form a relationship with nor will they impact my relationships with other people I tend to assign less value to being nice. I don't go out of my way to be nasty but I'll be disrespectful and condescending if the conversation goes there. But I real life I would take a kill em with kindness strategy instead of rolling in the mud.

[–] oo1@lemmings.world 3 points 5 months ago
[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think I am. I think I'm nicer than most people (cringing at myself for saying that but I can't think of a humbler way to phrase it while still being honest).

[–] BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's weird that most people probably think they are nice, because that's pretty subjective. Like someone can be in the KKK but thinks he's like a really nice dude. I think i'm nice because i would sacrifice a weekend to help a friend move for example, or do stuff for my almost elderly neighbour and so on. But no one could bring me to go to my uncle's birthday party and socialise with his friends, and i guess that's not very nice of me. So i don't know.

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[–] Scary_le_Poo 3 points 5 months ago

Irl, yes. Extremely so. I tend to be prickly online because, frankly, anonymous communication generally causes people to be assholes.

That said, I'm only a dick when someone else is being a dick first.

https://www.flamewarriorsguide.com

[–] newtraditionalists 3 points 5 months ago

I can be, but am not always. I actually find niceness to be a highly overvalued character trait. Some of the most back stabbing, manipulative, wishy washy, fake people I have ever known were incredibly nice. In fact, they used their niceness as a shield and mask for their awful character traits. Took a long time to realize that niceness is not so important. Far more important are loyalty, reliability, willingness to admit fault, willingness to listen, and so on. Niceness is just basic human civility. I don't care how nice you are if you are a manipulative and fake.

[–] feoh@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago

I don't love this question.

I spent a huge chunk of my life putting so much focus into being "nice" that some friends sremovedd about me being "a doormat".

Also? The word "nice" has so many soft negative connotations in 2024.

Subtext: if you're "nice" you're fundamentally un-interesting Subtext: if you're "nice" you're a push over and ripe to be taken advantage of.

GOOD person? MORAL person? OK.

Nice? Asking anyone to attribute this to themselves is a foot gun.

[–] jbk@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 5 months ago

not always :(

[–] Doxatek@mander.xyz 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Nice to a fault. I think it's because I try to be the person I always wish I would have had access to because I've never really had any support from anyone.

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[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Kind. I try to be a kind person. Sometimes I fail. Too many people argue the being "nice" is merely a superficial term.

[–] MargotRobbie@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago

I'd like to think so, most of the time.

But one of the important lesson I learned is that you can't be too nice at work, you have to put your foot down sometimes, otherwise people would just walk all over you and nothing gets done.

I don't like it, but it is what it is.

[–] LoamImprovement 2 points 5 months ago

I do nice things for other people when I'm up to it, but I hesitate to call myself a 'nice person' because niceness isn't necessarily an intrinsic quality, in the same way that I can be a transient dumbass at times without thinking of myself as an idiot.

[–] eugenia@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago

Depends what you mean by "nice". Nice as in "genuinely good" person, or nice as a "nice behavior towards others"? There's a difference, because in the latter one, it can involve not being honest, just so you can appear "nice". So I'm not "nicely socially behaving" most of the time, I'm instead hammering with facts (without being aggressive). My underlying reason for being like that is because: 1. I'm not diplomatic at all, I wasn't born with that gene it seems, 2. I don't believe I help the situation if I just be nice for the sake of being nice. I feel more useful when I'm straight up, clear as water, without being combative or aggressive. If that makes me not nice because I'm not sugarcoating with socially expected bullshit, then I'm not nice. If that makes me nice because I try to help and my intent is pure, then sure, I'm nice.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago

I am very laid back (my Dad always said I was nearly horizontal) and I never get angry, I rarely even get flustered or impatient. My Dad was a very good man and I try to follow his example as much as possible. As his health declined and I started caring for him (a real privilege as he helped so many it was only just that he got help in return when he needed it, even if it couldn't possibly fully pay him back) and, as I picked up some of his slack I did wonder where he found the time or energy. Since he died, I have felt like a sheepdog without a flock and have found myself adopting various people - I helped a friend through her cancer journey and her son start university, I took another friend to hospital sufficiently often that she just told the staff I was her "hospital husband" (which did stop them asking questions, usually with a roll of the eyes) and, as I don't drink, I ferry people home from the pub.

However, I can be... thoughtless and this can be really annoying, especially to the easily angered - I've lost a friend over it and my brother isn't exactly my greatest fan (the other year, my niece asked if I wanted to know all the nasty things my brother said about me and I declined - if we knew what people thought about us, we'd tear each other apart). I can also be rude to people but just where it's funny, you just have to know your audience (it can appal any bystanders though). I'm also not very emotionally expressive and I suspect at least one friend thinks I'm a sociopath.

So am I nice? Although it might depend on who you ask, I'd say no. However, I try to do as much good as possible - if anyone needs help, I'll drop what I'm doing and pitch in.

[–] Juice@midwest.social 2 points 5 months ago

I think so. I'm kind and caring, I have really great friends who wouldn't be if I wasn't also a genuinely good person.

I haven't always been but I always tried to be. For a long time I was really chaotic and had some personal issues that made it hard for me to like actually follow through with it. But I worked on myself a lot and I continue to. I still fuck up and I'm sure there's people who think I'm a dick. But for the most part I'm a nice, kind person

[–] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Yes, I try to be. I can't be an asshole, I feel really bad about it. I have had to be the cruel person and the liar a handful of times, and I hate to do it. But it is what it is. I look at someone like Elon Musk as the embodiment of a "terrible person" and do the opposite of him.

I am definitely not a narcissist, I am definitely not self-centered, and I am definitely not cruel.

only on tuesday

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 2 points 5 months ago

I try to be, but I don't rule out there may be aspects of the definition that go over my head. For example, there was a time when I was more known for giving to those in need than I'm known for now, but there were critics of mine who saw this and would accuse me of "buying over my friends with gifts". These same people often ask if I see people as pawns because I exchange favors with them, ask if I "think flattery is okay" during the times when I was more known for complimenting others, and criticize me over a combination things I've long made up for, things that normally wouldn't be seen as problematic, and unproven things. I guess I have a lot of everyday pharisees in life who make me think of this question a lot and that this is fresh in my mind. I don't stop people from wanting to explain how I'm not nice though, I just want to understand (within reason, I am my own human).

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago
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