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You're right, actually. I'm going to change that single word. I hope that enables you to see my post in another light, because I don't really recognize your characterization of what I said. To make it absolutely clear: at no point did I mean to imply that LV deserve to be bullied only because they are behaving badly. I did use the "a word" to describe behavior, not personality, but I acknowledge that was misguided.

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I was just about to add that it's important to distinguish between "harsh" and "mean."

"Dude, you fucked up" is harsh but not mean, and while it isn't to everyone's taste, it can be a bitter pill that provides the cure. It doesn't really cross the line to mean until the intent becomes more of making someone feel bad than pushing them to get better.

I just realized I come from a country where "don't be an asshole" is a common phrase that is considered harsh but not mean ;-)

Disclaimer: I didn't read the original post, so I'm not sure where it was in your post that the word 'asshole' used to live.

In my circles, at least, 'don't be an asshole' and 'you are being an asshole' is harsh-not-mean, while 'you are an asshole' is mean-maybe-harsh. The explicit declaration of state of being, rather than observation of behavior is the differentiator.

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