I got a nice chuckle out of "fabric soften" -- doesn't sound robotic to me. :)
I think the problem with sharp comments is that they evoke a response of defensiveness and argumentativeness in many/most people that corrupts the actual content of the discussion. If people start being primarily concerned with winning the argument, the quality of discussion suffers. It's harder to back down from a position if a second ago you were arguing that anyone who thinks that must be an idiot of the first degree.
I think the problem with sharp comments is that they evoke a response of defensiveness and argumentativeness in many/most people that corrupts the actual content of the discussion. If people start being primarily concerned with winning the argument, the quality of discussion suffers. It's harder to back down from a position if a second ago you were arguing that anyone who thinks that must be an idiot of the first degree.