Deal with it.

The infamous words that sparked the fires of the enormous backlash for the Xbox One launch. Spoken by Adam Orth over Twitter in what he perceived as a private conversation with a colleague, these words would change his life and turn thousands of rabid gamers into bloodthirsty animals. Myself included. I was furious and I made sure that the world knew it. It hinted at the direction that Microsoft was planning to take their new console in and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I was appalled at the lack of respect.

In the end the outcry actually brought about consumer friendly changes to the policies and hardware but I now feel that what I did was wrong. A man lost his job and was verbally harassed for months. His family was uprooted and forced to move. He will, forever, have this incident directly associated with his name. I helped bring him to his knees and participated in the cacophonous ridicule just because he was rude and close-minded. And I feel terrible about it.

It's good to voice your opinion. Whether it be to large corporations who want to turn you into an ATM, governments who care about lining the pockets of the wealthy, or individuals and groups you disagree with politically. You have the right to speak your mind and it's very important on an individual level to stand up for what you believe in. It will help shape who you are. I had every right to say what I did about Adam Orth and Don Mattrick and Yusuf Medhi but I now know that what I did was wrong. It's one thing to voice my opinion and it's another to join a mob. It didn't feel like it at the time. I thought I was being just. I thought I was fighting for the common people that were being left in the dust. In a sense I was, and then it all kept going and turned into something sinister. I was fueling my hatred and anger and focusing it at individuals who were already getting it from every direction. Spewing it out into a world that just doesn't need that garbage right now.

So, here and now, I would like to admit that I was wrong to participate in the dogpile and publicly apologize to Adam Orth, Don Mattrick, and Yusuf Medhi. I was being cruel. I still feel that what they did was wrong but I know that in the end I was also wrong. I can empathize with them for walking into an absolutely grotesque onslaught of hyper focused hatred coming from everywhere across the world. Hatred not necessarily for them, but for what they represented at the time. I can't imagine being in their shoes. I'm extremely sorry and all I wish to them is love and forgiveness.

I'm afraid to look further into myself because I have ridiculed many others. Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Schmidt, Tom Wheeler, James Clapper, Keith Alexander, and Leigh Alexander are some off the top of my head. A lot more as well. I'm sorry to everyone. Please forgive me if I'm been a part of anything that caused you pain. I wish you nothing but love now. I will do my best to improve my attitude towards those that I disagree with because hating or shaming them won't bring any positive change or civil discourse.

Please, in this thread, feel free to apologize to anyone that you might have personally shamed, publicly shamed, or even just offended. Whether it be Anita Sarkeesian, Phil Fish, Justin Beiber, Kim Kardashian, Caitlyn Jenner, Kanye West, George Bush, Monica Lewinsky, Brittany Spears, etc. If not for them, than for yourself. Holding those kinds of feelings just brings about more stress and anger. It's good to release it and let it go.

Don't try to destroy what you hate, fill the world with love instead.