It's been shown time and time again that conversation / discussion with honest dissent proves to foster more thought and recourse than "being nice" and not dire

It's been shown time and time again that conversation / discussion with honest dissent proves to foster more thought and recourse than "being nice" and not directly engaging the problem. While the letter bordered on over-the-top I'd rather get the honest feedback than nothing at all (i.e. thanks but no thanks).