Many (most?) of the comments on this and similar threads seem to come from a belief that any attempt to encourage or (heaven forbid) enforce polite and respectf

Many (most?) of the comments on this and similar threads seem to come from a belief that any attempt to encourage or (heaven forbid) enforce polite and respectful communication automatically mean a culture of fear and silence. Which is weird, given that HN discussions are usually reasonably polite and respectful, and that enforcement is reasonably visible. I apologize if I assumed your comments were from that mold. I was mistaken. But I still disagree that an appearance politeness and respect or attempt to promote them is either a sign of, or responsible for, harm to a company (or the world). Oh, and I did remember a decent example: IBM in the 1990s up through 2005 (that being the last time I worked there). He who talked loudest wins. Anyone who could spew tech-sounding gibberish like a Star Trek screenwriter at high volume was apparently automatically made a Technical Fellow. It led to a long series of bad technical decisions---and anyone who disagreed was treated unprofessionally and immaturely, and excluded---that ultimately hollowed-out the company.