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I'll defer to a native speaker to answer your question about why one is harsh and the other is polite.
Some verbs take no preposition, while others do. Those that do are called phrasal verbs. The meaning of the verb changes depending on the preposition used.
Learners of English must be blown away trying to figure out some of our phrasal verbs. The verb 'cut' often implies using a sharp-edged instrument to slice, sever, carve, or hew, but that isn't at all implied when one of the phrasal forms that follow are employed: cut down (lower, reduce, diminish, curtail), cut up (play pranks, misbehave), cut in (interrupt, insert oneself in between (in lines, traffic)), cut off (disown, disinherit, shut off, shut out (traffic)), and cut out (cease, stop, discontinue, omit).
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