"black or white" is a dot. "shades of gray" is like an axis on which you can plot points.
"color" on the other hand is like a 3-dimensional space, and so points can no longer be compared and sorted. How do you compare green with blue? You cannot.
On the topic, you can compare the rudeness of two messages and you can also establish some threshold over which the rudeness is no longer acceptable. That's why people use the "shades of gray" metaphor, because it's still useful.
And indeed, life has color, but that's why life is complicated, which is why we feel the need to simplify its dynamics.
"color" on the other hand is like a 3-dimensional space, and so points can no longer be compared and sorted. How do you compare green with blue? You cannot.
On the topic, you can compare the rudeness of two messages and you can also establish some threshold over which the rudeness is no longer acceptable. That's why people use the "shades of gray" metaphor, because it's still useful.
And indeed, life has color, but that's why life is complicated, which is why we feel the need to simplify its dynamics.