YourValentine wrote:
I think a genuine apology would be very necessary. My personal, private opinion.
Urkel had NOTHING to do with Richard's Aspergers because I used the name in reference to the actions BEFORE Richard identified himself as the person who had written! Don't let your extended absence get in the way of your hatred for me though Barb. This is what I wrote on that thread following that post when Richard said he felt bullied:
<i>Of all the pressures to shut down conversation on this topic, claiming your depression makes you too delicate to have your actions challenged on the internet seriously has to take the grand prize. Well done Richard. While I'll acknowledge that my second round of Urkel and the reference to prissy emailing was arguably a little gratuitous, the initial complaint that prompted the first outburst was not. Let's be clear. Nobody here is stealing your lunch money or shoving you into a locker because they don't like your face. You're not being bullied. The complaints are valid and relate to your rather consistently atrocious actions. From demonstrably false accusations against Fuller, to black holing posts that retroactively make you look bad and reveal your bias, to making a bunch of marginal statements about Fuller's status in the community like they're as reliable as sunrise, and finally to the spite motivated tattling, well, it's all a bit of a mess. That's the problem. And if you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime.
My 'Happy Easter' was a genuine attempt to separate the complaint about the behaviour from the value of the person. Not the clearest message when it's packaged with a 'rat' assertion I understand, but that was the intent. I have a great deal of sensitivity about hurting real people behind these computer screens and I've talked about it many times over the years here. I'm dealing with something I feel similarly about in another section of QZ so I can assure you I'm not disconnected from the principles. The difference is I don't expect to be immune from fair criticism of my words or my actions. While your feelings and your struggles with depression absolutely matter it's not reasonable to demand that your words and actions should be limited by nothing and mine limited by your state of mental health.
Finally, it's always a mistake to make assumptions about what direct or indirect experience anybody else has with depression or any other serious life challenge. I was shocked to see you minimize another poster's struggles with bipolar disorder, particularly given that it is a disorder of both deep depression and sometimes frightening mania. To be frank, taken together, your seeming expectation of immunity and your callousness towards a fellow poster also managing mental health challenges suggests a degree of disconnected self focus that is more than a little off putting. </i>
