What would be a good sign coming out of such people?
An unwillingness to admit fault, and/or learn from one’s mistakes. It’s the biggest and reddest of red flags.
How they treat their waitress at a restaurant. Big red flag.
“I call them how I see them.”
“I’m just brutally honest.”
“I’m just telling it like it is.”
These phrases are used exclusively by rude, obnoxious, condescending assholes trying to justify being shitty to other people for no reason.
“I like people/politicians who tell it is like it is!”
This always means expressing popular grievance with a particular style that scapegoats everyone else for a group’s problems.
Extreme racism.