True. When you have bad ideas you can only resort to emotional manipulation. Either you're mean to bully and intimidate people into agreeing with you, or you're  nice to make them feel good so they agree with you 

If your ideas are NOT good you will often resort to bullying, bluff and threats, rather than engaging in a respectful fact based and reasoned argument- because you cannot win that.

Solomonsatoshi

Of course we don't have to be "mean" for the most part. "Firm" is the better way to put it.

libertas

based

deleted by author

It's not really about being "nice" or being "mean".  It's about having solid ideas and being firm about them and explaining them well.

I believe that if your ideas are good, you will convince people to your side, whether or not you take a meaner or nicer stance about it.