{closed} A discussion on "jokes" and abusive behaviour

assumptions are nothing. it's your assumption that he's out of touch because he has a PhD (and you're assuming having a PhD equates to being in academia for life)
or your assumption that his "just a joke" definition should not apply to your dear initiation/hazing rituals.

then I hope next time someone as smart as you all can be online, so that new players don't need to rely on someone as stupid as me for help.

Yes, let's demand other people to walk on eggshells around us, assuming there might be 101 reason someone would perceive something, or anything, the wrong way, instead of letting the person to speak up for themselves, or work out why something triggers them in the first place.
/sarcasm

Firstly, if we’re going to be pedantic about words, do not use ‘abuse’ in the context of someone being told to do something stupid in a video game for the fun of the on lookers. I’ve lived around abusive behaviour, that is not it. Secondly, did the player in question ever actually speak up about being hurt? How do you know they weren’t smart enough to get the joke? One of the best members of my outpost was only on EMC for 30 days before I recruited him. Newbies can catch on quick. And to add to that, even they didn’t get it at first, how do you know they didn’t simply find it funny afterwards and take it in stride? Did you see them get upset, or are you getting offended on their behalf? This whole thing seems very virtue signal-y to me.

they complained in chat.

but anyway, fine, I'll shut up and let you all keep "joking" at the expense of new players, apparently I am the only one that thinks this is not nice.

Given the work it takes that can only really feasibly be done in your early 20s, and the fella graduating to become an English professor long enough for it to be significant enough to call himself a ‘former English professor’ before making the switch to law some time later, it’s a relatively safe assumption.

Weird that you’d make the jump from “Go down the shop and ask for a long wait.” to ‘hazing’ (a far more extreme version of the example I used) when I’ve repeatedly made it clear if someone doesn’t want to participate their wishes should be respected. I just don’t think people should tread carefully around others when they want to make a joke because “HAVING A SENSE OF HUMOUR IS HOW WE EXCLUDE PEOPLE FROM OUR SOCIAL GROUP SO BY MAKING JOKES YOU’RE TRYING TO CAST SOMEONE OUT OF YOURS, AND ANY FORM OF JOKE PUTS YOU ON THE SAME LEVEL AS RACISTS WHO USE DOGWHISTLES AND HIDE BEHIND A JOKE SHIELD”.

Life just isn’t as fun when you’re having your language policed.