Pride.
“Exactly — the comment was addressed to Romney, and tired&retired knew it, but went on to cast me as a sociopathic troll in post #12. I wasn’t offended.
Too bad he didn’t have the grace to apologize.”
Whether the statement is about Romney, his mother, another FR member, or even your mother does not matter. Name calling does not add facts or information to the point you are making. It is meant to stir up emotions and manipulate people who can’t understand the facts or circumstances of the situation at hand.
Ad hominem is usually used by people who attack the traits of an opponent as a means to invalidate their arguments when they cannot refute the merits of their argument.
Am I to apologize for your inability to understand my statements? If so, I apologize. However, I will not call you a name to paint a derogatory word picture upon your image.
As to the use of the descriptor “sociopathic,” the word has a traditional meaning that is not within the characteristics you exhibit in your posts. Your use of the word “sociopathic” to describe my perception of you is a “straw man” argument imposed upon me by you that again has no merit. It is merely another common fallacy of logical argumentation.