Friendships and Honesty

How much honestly and openness is good in a friendship? I mean, about "issues..."

See, a long time ago I used to be one of those people who could bitch about things but never had the guts to say or do anything about it. And, for some reason, recently I've just felt more open... more easily able to confront people when I have issues. Not that I do this verbally or to their face. Email is my method of choice. Maybe not the best, I suppose.

Now, it seems that anytime I DO confront a friend over an issue or irritation that I have, I end up not being friends with them. Maybe I come across too rude or mean, or I just say the wrong things. Maybe I shouldn't be 100% honest about my feelings.

I guess I've always felt it was best to be open about issues that bother you... I used to feel like such a coward for not being able to say what I really felt, but it seems that now that I have that courage that it always backfires. Have we become a society that is too sensitive and can't handle any constructive criticism or conflict?