Being Direct?

What are the ultimate effects of being direct? If we were all direct in our communications and our interactions, would the world get out of control or would it be a better place to live?

We are taught from a very early age that you can't say or do certain things. Has it been programmed into our minds that we must be polite instead of being direct?

Have advertisers and marketers programmed us in the same fashion? Have we been taught to take what they are telling us and not form our own opinions? Do we have the ability to be direct? Do we have the tools?

Are we victims of our upbringing and our cultural norms or do we just need to develop new tools in order to make our society function more efficiently and smoothly?

Let me know what you think...