Due to social pressures to not act like a complete jerk, compliments are preferred to insults. It has made compliments completely meaningless. Now, when someone gives me a compliment, I know that it is only because they feel unfair pressure to not yell insults at me (the possibility that they could do neither is simply unimaginable, which is why every single person I get near all day throws meaningless compliments at me).

The world would be much better if we were required to insult at least as many people as we compliment...

...then the world would be more like... Usenet!