Recently, a good friend related an experience they had in a group meeting. This friend had been allowed to present a song about a series of events the entire group was familiar with as they all shared many common experiences. The song was meant to be a light-hearted presentation of a socially uncomfortable but, not dire event. The song seemed to be well received and my friend sat down. However, the next speaker took direct offense to the song and berated my friend in front of the entire group of about 100 folks. When my friend raised her hand to say the song was not meant to harm but to encourage, my friend was further chastised and the tirade seemed to worsen. One person in leadership with the group left in a rush as she was about to become physically ill at the completely insensitive and unprofessional handling of the episode by the offended party.
My friend went on to relate their inability to sleep that evening. She had spent many hours mulling over the series of events, in one sense she felt frozen and in another sense she felt violated. In the many years of relating to groups and teaching in classrooms, they had never been treated so ugly and rude in a group setting. The offended party had expressed their hurt and anger in loud overt tones that had thrown a damper on the entire group including my friend. Later in the evening, several came up to express their support for my friend and bewilderment at the level of rage expressed against her. In my friend’s words, it was totally uncalled for and had left her seeking an exit from the group. It has been several days since the incident and there has been no direct communication of an apology from the person who leveled the barrage of abuse.