You were interfering with the results and efforts of others. Surely, it isn't hard to understand that such interference is one of the few things guaranteed to a

You were interfering with the results and efforts of others. Surely, it isn't hard to understand that such interference is one of the few things guaranteed to antagonize people. Insisting that they should hold a coherent argument, after your provocation, is very unfair. Most people understand these things intuitively, so I would only point out your own blindness in certain aspects of social relations. There have been many criticisms being leveled at your actions, but most of them—some correct, some incorrect—aren't important. Nor do your responses so far reveal any deep reflection of all that has transpired. The important point that people have been trying to articulate is this: Even though you were faced with mixed signals, rather than proceed with caution and try to understand the situation more fully (e.g., by engaging in discussion and building rapport), instead you plowed ahead with your own little project that would alter a common, shared space. Wisdom and being right are different. It is wise to tread lightly. We will all learn, or re-learn, these things, at some juncture. Meanwhile, best wishes and happy Valentine's. Sincerely, A fellow grad student at Princeton P.S. So, is it awesome working for an advisor who is a fan of Civ?