Sometimes, I am still a little confused by cultural differences.
Imagine there's someone who wants to try out a specific technique variation. However, even though that someone has the equipment necessary for the variation, they are not using it. Instead, they are doing a modified different technique that does not use the one essential equipment necessary for the specific variation. Like, say, if you were horse-riding and would like to try riding side saddle, and you have a side saddle but instead you use your regular saddle for some seating variation with one leg weirdly up.
The reason for this is, as per the person's own account, that they want to take baby steps to approach the technique. And then a video of the variation they are currently doing, which is in my personal opinion very far from the specific technique variation that is the goal in a few essential things, and the magic words "be nice".
So apparently, this means that any native US or UK English speaker is now completely banned from saying anything negative in any way whatsoever. Accordingly, things are praised that can be seen on the video that have nothing whatsoever to do with how the goal variation would work, or are even (at least in my opinion) standing in the way. Nobody addresses the elephant in the room, or the horse still not wearing the side saddle which, well, just will not work for riding side saddle. (There may be slight hints towards that being the next logical step, and encouragement to just, you know, go for it, but nothing more.)
Is it just me, or is that utterly confusing? Yes, it never feels nice to get told that what you are doing is very far from the usual way, and does not look like it's working properly. There's also always, always personal differences and preferences in how something should be done, and I fully see the merit in allowing for that, and writing any feedback taking that into account. But if the main element is missing, how is it supposed to work? How is it seen as "not nice" to point this out? You cannot ride side saddle without a side saddle, after all.
Is this normal? I have had roughly similar things happen in German forum environments, and there was always at least a few people who did go for the main issue (in a way that I personally did not perceive as mean or over the top, but just, well, pointing out the obvious flaw).
I will keep an eye on that somehow puzzling thing, but, well... From experience in giving workshops, I do know that even if I try hard to cushion things with gentle wording and a bit of fun, there's usually a point where I get very, very blunt. After all, I want people to learn - and how can you point out that something is not going to work as it's supposed to be, or will have a really big drawback already looming if you don't address it clearly?