You have put words in my mouth. Many words, and many implied meanings that I NEVER implied.

At absolutely *no time* did I EVER say I didn't care if people were upset by the word rape. I said that Erik asked to have it changed, with the permission of the letter writer, because it was upsetting people. And that then getting upset about it being changed to something less offensive was silly, and that especially choosing to leave the site without ever bothering to try to discuss the issues at hand with a moderator or admin who was involved was patently ridiculous. And I do stand by that.

What I *also* said was that the word rape is a word commonly used in the English language to mean things other than sexual assault. Yes, it is the word we use to describe sexual assault. No, that is NOT the only way to use it. I *also* noted that I was not saying that it was necessarily the best choice of words for the original poster to use, only that I didn't think he meant to imply what he was being accused of implying - that his experience with the company was equal to a man or woman who has been sexually assaulted. That was not the meaning of the word in the context in which he used it.

As I said before and I guess I will have to say again, I have also been raped. That does not give me personal ownership of the word, and it does not mean that any person who ever uses it is recreating the violence I lived through. I assure you that hearing that someone was raped by a company in no way compares to the experience I had, and if that had been the extent of the horror I experienced, I would have considered myself lucky to live through it every single day. I can not demand that they change the name of the seed known as a rape seed, I cannot demand that people stop referring to the pilaging of villages or museums as "raping". The word is seperate from the act, and just like the word "jumped", has many different meanings. It's not a "figure of speech". It's a definition listed in Webster's. Check it out.

As for disrespectful, I am terribly sorry you feel that way. I read comments on this site every day that I think are disrespectful. I choose to ignore most of them, as long as they are within the commenting guidelines for the site. I feel is it disrespectful when people accuse me and my team of being corrupt dictators, bent on censoring and silencing anyone who gets in our way. I also feel that just as it is your right to accuse me of it, it is my right to respond to it, and that's what I did.

Since there still remains some confusion on what the guidelines are and what would or would not cause trouble, as you yourself point out, let me reiterate. Don't cuss. Don't call names. Don't make insinuations about people's lack of intelligence. And don't threaten their lives, well being, etc. I just don't think those guidelines are all that confusing, to be honest? Stay within them, and you're fine.

Which is why, as painful as I consider your comment personally, I would never consider taking it down. Which is how I can say with an absolutely clear conscience that I am not an overzealous, censoring dictator.