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A comment on I know why rejection emails suck – I write them. Parent comment

Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by chongli on Monday August 27, 2018 @05:40PM (#17854807)
Why don't they want to do it? How might I make them more comfortable with me so they can explain how they really feel?

I'd be very cautious with this approach. Politeness is an extremely important social defense mechanism for most people. By ignoring the standard polite response and trying to get at the truth you're undermining a person's attempt to save face. By doing so, you're attacking their autonomy and agency as a human being.

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Re:I know why rejection emails suck – I write them by shimon on Monday August 27, 2018 @09:02PM (#17855834)
I'm not suggesting directly asking these questions of the other person. I'm suggesting these as topics for you to think about if you're getting the polite excuse and want the actual reason. To get that you have to actually make them more comfortable; calling them out on a polite lie obviously isn't going to do that.
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