I agree that there are more polite ways to respond to questions than to simply say "RTFM". Some of the other arguments don't resonate well with me, though, suc

I agree that there are more polite ways to respond to questions than to simply say "RTFM". Some of the other arguments don't resonate well with me, though, such as discouraging words like "should" and "ought". These are often appropriate words. It's true that they can subconsciously apply some form of judgement, especially if applied with a particularly negative tone as context. But the imagined tone doesn't change the word itself. Even the author uses the concept of "should" in a less direct form. Whether you say "It's time to retire RTFM" or "You should stop telling people to RTFM", you're still suggesting a preferred behavior. If we stop using words because we're afraid of an edge case where someone may assume negativity, it lends power to that interpretation. When enough people have the same interpretation, the definition becomes the reality. Curse words only have their power because people avoid them or use them as curses. Perhaps better advice would be to make conscious effort to convey positive tone, rather than avoiding relatively neutral words that are heavily influenced by tone.