I was told You guys might like my travertine patio remodel

..but to say someone's project sucked because you don't care for the style, idea, color, etc is such a downer.

I don't usually see people phrase their opinion that harshly. This isn't a safe space..posting means voluntarily opening up your project for judgement. Critiques help people improve. A constant stream of compliments is the reason art degrees are the go-to major to shit on for a wasted college education, when in reality some people just didn't get honest critiques and didn't improve enough to get a job. Regardless, your comment is more about esthetic opinions, rather than safety and regulations.

Cringing or feeling embarrassment for someone else is a natural reaction. It actually implies you're a good person for being able to empathize/sympathize with someone. Sure, not everyone has a good filter, but things need to be said and sometimes there's no nice way to phrase it, even if it's meant to help.

I personally think the sub could use more critiques, because we're mostly adults and don't need others telling us our macaroni necklace is amazing anymore. I think it would be better for everyone involved if DIY gift givers especially had a dose of reality and were made aware that a lot of the gifts secretly never get used, but have to be kept around to avoid hurting the gift giver's feelings.

/r/DIY Thread Parent Link - imgur.com