Artoomis said:
Telling someone they shouldn't DM because they are stupid (which was essentially what was done), is mighty close to "hateful" in my book.
I told someone he shouldn't DM because he was unable to figure out a really simple connection between two basic elements. In other words, he is not suited to be a DM. If you want to suggest that calling attention to someone's lack of skills in a particular area is calling them "stupid" then perhaps you need to go get yourself some thicker skin.
I think any form of personal attack is "hateful" - and I'd include this as a form of personal attack
I think that is a useless standard, and one not prone to result in a worthwhile debate.
Here's an example: my wife loves the show American Idol, and, like most husband's, I end up watching whatever she is watching a lot of the time because I'm too unmotivated to do something else. On that show, Paula Abdul praises every single performance with a "good job", "great job" or "excellent job" or some such drivel. Another judge (Simon) tells the particpants who suck that they suck and tells the ones who did well that they did well.
Paula hates Simon because he does this, but watch the contestants: they ignore Paula's fawning, meaningless praise, and pay attention when Simon evaluates them, and are much happier when he praises them.
Why is this relevant? Eliminating "harsh statements" is to reduce your level of assessment to Paula Abdul's. I'd rather go the other route: when someone doesn't have the skills to do something, point it out to them. They will either improve or do something else, which is of infinitely more benefit to them than false praise.