I'm maybe not as offended as you because I think his friend is more mature and should be proud they avoided being baited. The GC being preemptive might be part

I'm maybe not as offended as you because I think his friend is more mature and should be proud they avoided being baited. The GC being preemptive might be part of a group choice at selection time, whether the language is painful to read and/or write is a permanent factor in your quality of life at work until you eventually move to another project. Of course whether they are not emphatic enough is more a matter of whether the author sees it as a criticism of their friend.