Not sure what they call it today, but that comment, when I was growing up, meant someone who was a ‘brown-noser’, who always behaved ‘perfectly’ when in the presence of adults. However, the ‘in front of’ didn’t always mesh with the ‘behind of’. They also tended to be tattle-tale types. These were people to avoid or you may face the possibility that you may be the butt of their actions. I don’t know what this behavior may be called now but the point was that these ‘types’ weren’t trust worthy. Then again… not sure peer approval is their purpose or goal.
One would need to look at the motivation behind this behavior and the results that accompany it. While attributing motive to someone else can be incorrect, their behavior over time does give you some definite information. Also another clue would be if the actions focus negative attention or blame on an innocent person. These clues may be misinterpreted but if it speaks to a pattern of behavior over time, then this would give credence to being alert around this person.
One question is: Is there something inherently ‘wrong’ with being tagged as a goodie two shoes? Possibly not, except for the reputation that accompanies this behavior. Or if this is for show and isn’t an integral part of who you are. If you are a person who seeks to be kind, wants the best for all, acts for the benefit of all; then this person acts this way in all situations and with all people equally. If it’s a ‘put on’ then there is little congruence between the public and private person.
Bottom line is your experience in these types of situations, with these types of people. If you’ve been the unfortunate focus of such a person then the memory will probably alert you to any potential problem. My bias would be that the false goodies should be handled with a great deal of suspicion, preferably from a great distance. However, there are the rare individuals who really DO want the best for everyone and act on this. They can be misguided and/or wrong but they aren’t malicious and don’t focus the ‘blame’ onto others.
