Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been known to make fun of people here on occasion. Usually I try to make my fun-making indirect and amusing, and a little bit difficult to perceive, if you aren’t terribly perspicacious.
I use the Golden Rule here. If I wouldn’t mind if someone did that to me, then I’ll do it to them. However, I have modified the rule somewhat. If I think someone is really young, or just not knowledgeable to get it, I would pull my punches by making it more obvious what I am doing, or by being gentler.
I’m a big boy, so I can take the punishment that might be dished out here. I’ve been shut down by moderators and others before. Heck, I’ve even been wrong a time or two! ;-) That having been said, there are times when, due to my illness, I take things much more seriously than I should. I can’t see the fun-making. I think people are being straight up. These are times when I’m depressed or in a mixed state. I don’t know what the hell is going on, and at such times (which haven’t happened in many months, now), I tend to withdraw, sometimes after unleashing a series of pathetic questions designed to ask for attention without actually asking for it. I’ve found, generally, that the other who are like me, pick up on these things really quickly, and come to my aid, and for that, I am very grateful.