Am I? I've never thought of it that way, but perhaps you're right.

[ he's never been the type to beat around the bush, at any rate. ]

A good answer. We may need to cooperate with these people, but there's no need to get caught up in their nonsense. [ a bit harsh, but what else are you supposed to call it? ] Unfortunately, the longer we remain here, the more likely it becomes that we need to. Old cultures are rarely tolerant of outsiders.