I think this is a major problem that was used mainly to keep peace in an imperfect political/social system.
People are simply not free to say what they want in public without fear of persecution. (social pressure)
It is something that is as ancient as the human race.
Truth is never the path chosen in most of our lives.
What they say is:
It is better to say 1 less word then 1 too much.
Is it really like this in reality?
Well yes, since we live in an imperfect world where honesty is not valued but submission and inequality rein supreme.
I think this is the reason why most people if not all, are hesitant to be honest about what they think even if some things are proven to be true.
On of the most vivid examples is:
Why do we hesitate to call Theists as stupid persons? when in reality we all know they are. (at least on the on the theistic argument)
Stupidity: "Behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgement":
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/stupidity
When one makes an extraordinary claim and not only presents no evidence to back it up, but willfully ignores all the contradictions that his own claim brings with it, he fits the definition of being a stupid person. Then to top it off he also claims that gullibility(faith) is better then critical/analytically thinking without supporting such an absurd claim.
I see this as clear "Behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgement"= Stupidity.
So why do we hesitate to call the stupid, stupid?
One has to note that stupidity is not fixed, but varies depending on the subject in matter. so we say stupid opinions instead of a stupid person.
So one person might be completely stupid in 1 argument and not so stupid in an other, but it usually reflects their critical thinking abilities.
So here is where it comes debatable.
Is a person that does not have good critical thinking at the moment and also arrogant about his claims considered stupid?
I say Yes, he is stupid because he fits the definition of stupidity at this point in time.
"Behaviour that shows a lack of good sense or judgement"
In time he might not remain stupid though since he could learn by experience if he chooses to.
Thus the only valid reason I found is that we are so accustomed to view the word stupid as an insult that we consider it as a non sensitive way of describing someone, thus an insult.
The problem with this reasoning is that we forget that it is only an insult if the person is not behaving like a real stupid person.
Eg;
If I insult someone by calling him a rapist, I am making an insult(bad thing) since I am making an unsupported claim.
But if I present evidence that he is a real rapist, then I am just accusing someone in a pursue of the truth and justice.(good thing)
Does it matter if he views it as an insult?
I think that our bias regarding stupidity is effecting our judgment.
I think that if someone acts like a stupid person and fits the stupid definition he deserves to be called stupid.
And it is a good thing to call him so, so that this stupid behavior ends as soon as possible.(good thing)
+ The stupid person in most cases doesn't even realize that he is stupid, so in reveling this to him, you would be doing him a favor.
(although most people are not mature enough to accept it until something bad happens to them in result of their stupidity)
The sensitivity argument for me is a wrong argument that has no basis except that it is our culture to do so.
I am not saying to not be sensitive but being sensitive is a choice by the accuser and not a must by social pressure.
It is always best to first have a nice approach to the truth instead of a frontal approach, however one must still be honest and call the stupid for what it really is.
This idea that calling something nonsensical like Theism not a stupid philosophy because some people get offended is just as bad as not calling Hitler a mass murderer because he gets offended.
The truth is more important then who gets offended because with the truth one can have a better understanding of reality and thus make a better judgment for the future.
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