I know that we encourage all our members to be polite, but I was wondering if it might be necessary to explain it.
People can be blunt as long as they explain their behavior. That's the "polite" thing to do. Perhaps we shouldn't call it being polite, but being considerate.
There are plenty of people who will fake being polite or do it without thinking, but we want people who think, right? So, do we need to be more clear about what we are asking for? In addition, I wouldn't want current or future members to restrain themselves from being honest simply because they fear they might be impolite. We do want people to say what they think. It doesn't matter if it's negative, but as I said before, they should be considerate. Therefore, a negative comment has to be accompanied by an explanation and, if possible, by a possible solution. Otherwise, they'd be "trolling," instead of saying something thoughtful.
I'm not the type of person who says "please" and "thank you" all the time. I prefer showing people I'm respectful and thankful simply by listening to them or trying to understand them. Sometimes I do have to say "please" or "thanks," but I try to limit it. Not because I'm purposely trying to be a jerk, but because it seems so meaningless, it's as it was part of a routine so it's more difficult to know when someone actually means it. To me, it seems more important to take some time to explain things to people instead of being "polite" while thinking impolite things.
