That world would be just as bad as the one we're in now.

Extremes on either end is not fun.

Being nice all the time, would have it's downside.

Namely people tend to improve from criticism or feedback that they receive which is negative. If people were always so polite and so nice.. it would mean that people weren't being all that truthful. People who need improvements would never see a need to strive, change, or approve as what they were doing would be accepted.

Much as it pains me to admit it, there is occasionally an upside to being a "jerk".

Which is to say that sometimes it's better to tell someone that what they're doing isn't cutting it, nicely, and cleanly, than have people try to avoid that person, or talk behind their back.

Me too!

Criticism + polite delivery = constructive. It lets a person making an error know what he or she is doing wrong and possibly ideas about how to fix it.

Someone yelling and slinging the insult du jour is not constructive, it's just rude. It lets the person doing the yelling take their anger at their boss, spouse or cat out on someone they "only know online." It does nothing helpful for the person making the mistake.

If the norm is to deliver criticism in a derogatory and loud way, it's not even attention getting...