This reminds me of my best friend in our A Level maths classes who asked for clarification constantly. In my mind, it was great that she was asking, because I'm sure many people were too self-conscious to ask when they were unsure. But she began to get labelled by teachers and students alike as the one who was annoying due to all the questions she asked. In any case, it was advanced level maths. Surely anyone and everyone needs to ask for some clarification there?

I really enjoyed this exploration of how we use (and subconsciously weaponise) words - you've hit the nail on the head! (sorry couldn't help myself)