The response is such a weird mix of mocking and progressive, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's wild that even back then some people had trouble just saying "no, fuck off, LOL!" Am I missing a joke? This just seems pathetic.

Hedging is some of the weakest behavior imaginable, and I cringe every time I see it, and cringe every time I catch myself starting to doing it. Just...never do it. "I believe in women's empowerment"...no, stop. "I don't agree with everything Person X says BUT..." no, stop.