To me, disrespect is a bit like radiation. It fades, but takes so long to do so that for the short lifespan of a person, it is essentially permanent poisoning. When we are exposed to radiation, it builds up and stacks on top of previous exposure- until your body can't take it any more and you die. On the disrespect scale, this wasn't so bad. But, it was one time too many.
I think my mistake was not "drawing down" from .net, or quitting altogether, sooner. I knew that was going to be a problem and I rode it out thinking I could just keep shrugging it off.
I guess this is just going to look strange to most of you. I get that. I will try to explain this, from my perspective, in a way that makes sense.
When someone puts in hard work and provides a service you like, especially if it's for free out of their own volunteered effort, you want to support them as a means of letting them know they are appreciated and that you want the status quo to continue. I think those efforts from .net supporters kind of got out of control in the last few months, especially the "SI" type comments. I'm flattered, but I'm not that good.
It's human nature to go against the grain for some, and I've noticed a growing antipathy in my direction in recent months among a certain segment of users, users who I'm reasonably sure had no issues with me a couple years ago. But I think they see others propping me up and their instinct is to pop the balloon. If done right, this isn't a bad thing, but when done wrong, it's hurtful. And the result is, lots of little nicks and bruises occurring all the time, like getting bushwhacked all day long on a "roughing it" fishing trip. Sure, we all take abuse here, but my brand of abuse taken is different. It's specific to me because of the status I had been given from others. I also sensed genuine resentment from a few users, and that gradually put me more on edge.
It's part of the human condition, and I'm not crying to the refs here. I get how things work. My point is that, there is a certain stage you reach on that fishing trip where even a 20 pound Steelhead wouldn't be enough to coax you to go through one more stream side shrubbery. And that's where I'm at right now. I can't take it anymore. I don't want to be a ".net celebrity." Writing here is a freaking blast, but it's just not worth the little doses of special abuse, not anymore.