It would be hard to accept that explanation, because I calmly and rationally consider you to be intellectually dishonest myself, but I naturally can't rule out your explanation, because I don't know your friends or your relationship with them.
Considering your explanation of why your friends haven't told you they think you're intellectually dishonest does raise the spectre of further alternatives, of course, and they're unflattering, but we can stick with the those each of us has suggested if you prefer, just to clinch the dishonesty
