Politeness is a nice thing to have, in theory, but any attempt at enforcing politeness is a tax on creativity. Human processes are extremely imperfect and subj

Politeness is a nice thing to have, in theory, but any attempt at enforcing politeness is a tax on creativity. Human processes are extremely imperfect and subject to all kinds of biases and conflicts of interest. The cost of attempts at enforcement will be huge and not immediately obvious to everyone. It will silence dissent. It will create chilling effects. It will alter the balance of power towards the rules-lawyers and away from those that just want to get their work done. I am against any sort of standard here for the same reason I am against government censorship: because it will be turned around and used against us as a weapon, for reasons that will have nothing to do with improving productivity and everything to do with some petty squabble for territory and influence.