People are not always rational.  All of us respond emotionally, at least from time to time.  If we have been hurt, regardless of whether or not the offense was actual and/or intentional or we happened to be particularly sensitive at the time, some of us hold on to and, in a way, unwittingly cultivate the useless-if-not-harmful feelings, allowing them to influence how we act and react in the future.  It may seem strange, but some people embrace their 'victimhood' the way a child embraces a teddy bear or Linus clung to his blanket.  I'd guess that this is far more common among those of us raised entirely in the insane modern world than we realize or would be willing to admit.  God is trying to heal all of us of our myriad wounds and defects; He knows what is best in every single case and we must do our best to patiently bear with the faults of others as well as our own.  This is just a normal part of life and the giving of ridiculous, emotion-driven thumbs-down is the way it expresses itself in this medium.  I am certain that while I earned a good number of thumbs down, I also received an amount known only to God because people were reacting emotionally toward my person, regardless of what I wrote in a particular post.  So what?  As Mater made clear, she sometimes gave a thumbs up to counter an irrational thumbs down, so...  It all works out in the end exactly as it should.  At times, I would more or less taunt people into thumbing me down, even sharing tips about how to maximize their efforts.  To be sure, it was not the wisest course, but that is water under the bridge and perhaps something good came or will come of it, whether for me or others.  In a word, it just doesn't matter.  If it really bothers me, the problem is with me, not the thumbs-downer.  Peace of mind and heart to all who read these words.

Tele,

For what it's worth, I have disliked some of your posts. I have also liked some. I liked several of your posts regarding Baptism of Desire, as I recall.

It's obvious the person who thumbed-down the apology supports whatever abusive behavior it was the person was apologizing for.

While that may be true, it is also at least possible that whoever thumbed it down is, for whatever reason, simply against all kindness toward you as a matter of policy, so to speak.  It is impossible to know if the thumbs-downer even read the original, possibly-offensive comment.  C'est la vie and a peaceful, restorative weekend to all who read these words.

Okay :)