But I mostly wouldn’t expect both concerns to be operative in the same world—in the possible world where Sussman feels bad about being named and singled out, that means he’s taking “us” seriously enough for our curt dismissal to hurt, but in the possible world where we’re written off as cranks, then being named and singled out doesn’t hurt.
The world can change as a result of one of the concerns. At first you’re taking someone seriously (or might at least be open to taking them seriously), then they say something hurtful, then you write them off to make it hurt less. Sour grapes.
Also, the reactions of people who are not being directly criticized but who respect the person being criticized are also important. Even if the target of the criticism never saw it, other people in the target’s peer group may also feel disrespected and react in a similar way. (This is not speculation—I’ve seen various computer scientists have this reaction to writings on LW, many times.)
The world can change as a result of one of the concerns. At first you’re taking someone seriously (or might at least be open to taking them seriously), then they say something hurtful, then you write them off to make it hurt less. Sour grapes.
Also, the reactions of people who are not being directly criticized but who respect the person being criticized are also important. Even if the target of the criticism never saw it, other people in the target’s peer group may also feel disrespected and react in a similar way. (This is not speculation—I’ve seen various computer scientists have this reaction to writings on LW, many times.)