The issue is the broad, ambiguous, definitions of things like "civil". In many cultures (eg. French, Russian) a direct, no-nonsense communication style is the d

The issue is the broad, ambiguous, definitions of things like "civil". In many cultures (eg. French, Russian) a direct, no-nonsense communication style is the default. You can just say things like "Your idea is hilariously stupid" and no one really gets bent about it. In the world of multicultural, international business, this seems like the most viable default, simply because it's the easiest to codify and communicate. Trying to teach very culturally-specific minutia of civility to a diverse staff just gets in the way. I'd rather work somewhere the burden of not being offended is placed on the listener, not the speaker. Somewhere we can just say what we think.