My guess is that you don't intend to be insensitive, but the awareness you're demonstrating here shows a lack of empathy and true understanding/acceptance of th

My guess is that you don't intend to be insensitive, but the awareness you're demonstrating here shows a lack of empathy and true understanding/acceptance of the emotional sensitivities to others, particularly this author. To minimize someone's emotional state/response isn't only insensitive (intended or not), it's also abrasive. I'd imagine it's also likely causing problems for you in other areas of your life, if you look and/or solicit candid feedback from people around you that aren't quite like you are. If you're (or anyone else) interested in talking more about it, feel free to let me know. I had to do a lot of similar work starting from a similar place as you're describing. You (and anyone else seeing nothing "wrong" with the author's response) might also consider reading Karla McLaren's _The_Language_of_Emotions_.