“We don’t talk about Bruno…” – if you’ve seen Disney’s Encanto, you know the line. Bruno, gifted with foresight, tells uncomfortable truths—and gets cast out for it. His name becomes taboo, not because he was wrong, but because the family didn’t want to face reality. The silence nearly destroys them.
Sound familiar?
In today’s world—at work, at home, in society—we’re living our own version of this story.
The Rise of Regressive Silence
We’ve embraced empathy, inclusion, and psychological safety. All necessary. All well-intentioned. But somewhere along the way, those values have been weaponized to shut down difficult conversations.
Disagreeing with the dominant view is seen as offensive.
Pointing out someone’s shortcomings is branded as disrespect.
Feedback is sugar-coated into irrelevance—or not given at all.
Today, too often, the focus is on how something is said rather than what is being said.
We’ve created environments where tone is policed more than content—where someone’s message can be dismissed, not because it’s wrong, but because it wasn’t wrapped in the “right” words or emotions.
It’s like refusing to hear someone out because they didn’t dress appropriately. Style over substance.
But if we truly care about growth—personal, professional, or societal—we need to lean into the message, even if it’s delivered imperfectly.
Respect matters. But it shouldn’t become a barrier to honesty. Let’s stop treating discomfort as disrespect. Let’s focus less on how something is said, and more on what’s actually being said.
The Cost of Not Talking
Silence doesn’t keep the peace—it just buries the problem deeper.
At Work: Underperformance isn’t addressed. Morale slips. Top talent walks.
In Society: We avoid topics like bias or inequality. Then wonder why division grows.
In Relationships: We tiptoe around unmet needs. Until things break beyond repair.
Avoidance doesn’t prevent conflict. It incubates it.
Focus on Message Over Wording
We’ve grown so cautious with words that we’re afraid to speak at all. But tough conversations demand clarity, not euphemisms.
Not everyone is a language expert. People will misspeak. That shouldn’t disqualify the message.
Let’s stop obsessing over phrasing—and start listening for meaning. If we keep diluting feedback to keep things “nice,” we lose its impact—and its value.
An Honest Culture Is a Winning Culture
The most energizing, high-performing environments are built not just on kindness—but on courage.
The courage to speak plainly.
The courage to disagree openly.
The courage to hear feedback without defensiveness.
In Encanto, healing only begins when the family finally talks about Bruno. Not as a villain—but as the truth-teller they needed all along.
What about you?
What “Brunos” are you avoiding?
What truths need to be said—even if they sting?
Silence may feel polite. But progress lives in honest, even uncomfortable conversations. Let’s not trade respect for passivity.
Because if we don’t talk about Bruno, we don’t just lose dialogue—we lose trust, growth, and everything built on them.