lightly edited as an attempt to clarify for apexofexcellence Sept 6, 3:21pm

I am working at being more Machiavellian. If you have to break bad news do it anonymously, if possible.

There is a post in /askTRP titled "Guy I thought was a friend trying to fuck my sister". The issue is the "Guy" caught herpes while cheating on his gf with a hooker on vacation. Then went home and fucked his gf without informing her he caught herpes. This isn’t the type of shit stain you want around your family. The thread poster needs to give his sister a heads up. Even in this instance I’d tell the sister anonymously about his friend having stds and spreading them carelessly. I suggested OP Make up a temporary email.

There are three laws of power to consider when breaking bad news:

  • Law 5: So much depends on reputation – guard it with your life
  • Law 19: Know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person
  • Law 26: Keep your hands clean

OP doesn’t need the drama and BS getting back to him if the sister blabs. Friends in his circle would probably think he did the right thing by telling her Guy has stds. Those same friends will still their lose respect and trust for him because he ratted Guy out. None of them would ever confide in him again. Is std douche "Guy" going to get mad and try and fight OP? Will std guy seek revenge some other way? It’s best to inform anonymously and have plausible deniability.

From the bottom to the top whistle blowers get fucked over in this society. Police hypocritically complain about the "snitches get stitches" attitude in the hood. I believe "Don't cross the blue line" is the police version of snitches get stitches. Cops normally do not start internal investigations against their fellow cops. The Shooting of Frank Serpico is a famous example of how badly things can go wrong for whistle blowers.

Keep your hands clean brothers.