Friendlyness vs Honesty, and the english language

[dpnice]

Yes I do believe the English are straightforward but my generation was always taught to be polite.

Thus we say: I like your shoes.
Rather than saying: I hate your awful dress.

As grandmother taught me; always try to find something nice to say.

 

[carniolus]

I've seen a lot of that as well, but personaly I think that it really is a cultural thing, or rather a certain way that the standard of "polite" conversation (or indeed all kind of communication) is perceived in a certain society and I don't believe that someone using those "polite lies" as you called them would really consider them as such at all if they're part of the regular way of expression. I think it's more a problem of somebody from a different culture reading these idioms in a too-litteral way in stead of for what they really express.