Hi,
Speaking for "Bill", I do not take offense at kind hearted jabs or sarcasm. There is far too much ugliness in the world for me to take offense when it was not meant as offense. Occasionally, someone will really call me out, and then I try to take the high road and make them look petty. this is usually very easy, although everyone, BUT them knows that they are wrong. This happened recently with a "never was, wanna-be, small press publisher" (last initial G) and even more recently with a "Never was, wanna-be, small press poet." (last Initial M) In both cases, they continued to e-mail me with their negativity. They are both gone now.
Other that those two people, I count all others (Oh, yeah... I hate Swedes with smoky voices that sing to Bukowksi poems, too...) as friends.
Now, who's buying me a beer?
Bill