Wow. It is really unfortunate that this happened. While I wasn't present for the discussion, it seems more than obvious that it affected the poster. For what it's worth, I have always held myself to a higher expectation than those around me simply because I can easily control what I project but not what others perceive. You can control projection but only influence others' perceptions of you. Something I have to keep in mind a lot due to my job. As a manager, the biggest part of my job is negotiation and conflict resolution. You would be surprised at some of the things that come up but if you handle them correctly, everybody wins and comes out for the better.
There is another thing that I never really understood until I became an adult--I guess you could say when I turned maybe 25 since I was a late bloomer!! I used to think that people said they were sorry because they were saying they were wrong. That can lead to a lot of problems since it is easy to find someone so stubborn that they will never apologize if they have to admit they were wrong. Instead, I came to understand that apologizing to someone simply because you hurt his or her feelings was the right thing to do. It reopens the door that got closed and starts a dialog that otherwise may never happen.
Bashers or those with poor social skills often times find themselves in Yahoo chats where they gang up on people or prey on others for a good time. This fleet is outstanding in its support and its ability to embrace all its members. We have members from all across the world, multiple continents, countries, time zones, etc. All too often, people claim that the world is being too sensitive. That may be true, but when someone goes out of his or her way to slight another person, therein lies the issue.
To the original poster, I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I'm sure everyone in this fleet has been picked on or bullied at least once. I'm proud to be a part of this fleet and if there was an emoticon in the boardcode for a hug, I'd enter it here. >:D