I played football in HS and had Army basic training. In both cases, I (along with every other guy there), were hit with criticisms that were embarrassing, painful and infuriating, but they helped all of us to work harder and get better at doing what we were there to do, as a team.

I'm sure my experience with harsh criticism and the benefit I got from it, has a lot to do with why I am so positive about criticism in general. In these types of situations harshness was, and is, beneficial.

I'd say that when someone blasts another person, with no other goal in mind than just to be mean to that person, it isn't criticism we're seeing. It's just someone being mean.