Yeah, Alex, I assumed that's what you meant, but the term "feedback" itself is neutral; the response can be evaluative in a positive or negative sense, or it can merely be instructional or observational [as in, "..the guitar is louder than the vocals on that tape..."]. It's unfortunate that, as you suggest, many people think "feedback" = "criticism" = "a put down."

I could say a similar thing about "tough love." It really isn't an oxymoron, as the term was used by the folks who coined the phrase. But too many people nowadays tend to use it to mean "retribution," "zero tolerance," etc. [as in thinking of the death penalty or life imprisonment as "tough love}.

Arge