But, it's all about context, right? If this was the conversation:
"Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers on my husband's passing. As you know, it has been a very trying time the last few months, and I really appreciate everyone's patience and kindness".
Then someone replied "Which is why your opinion is so irrelevant".
I mean, I'd likely delete that mean-spirited reply.
I was just explaining this to someone via PM. For so many years, Admin, in our attempt to be helpful, have been giving very specific guidelines to help Mods and Users know what was/wasn't allowed. And, there's been so many times that's just been thrown back in our face or someone says "Why can he say it and I can't?". There are variables, there is context - people have a hard time understanding that sometimes it's "textbook" and often it just isn't.