Communication is the new buzzword of 2023

[SW15]

Agree with OP. It’s just another red herring.

1993 - “He’s too nice.”

2023 - “He needs to work on his communication skills.”

Being a "nice guy" has always been problematic. I remember when I was first getting into the mating environment in the late 1990s - mid 2000s. "Nice guys finish last" was a common saying then.

I do think you're correct in the "he's too nice" saying from the 1990s-2000s.

Male communication skills were a bone to pick in the 1990s too. Back in the 1990s, there was the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" about communication styles written by a beta male psychologist John Gray.