I also don’t think this is retaliation. If that was the goal Kat could have just ended the section after making Ben look maximally bad, and not adding the clarifying context.
This is not true. If Kat had just left in the section making Ben look bad, everyone would have been “what? Where is the evidence for this? This seems really bad?”.
The way it is written it still leaves many people with an impression, but alleviates any burden of proof that Kat would have had.
You might still think it’s a fine rhetorical tool to use, but I think it’s clear that Kat of course couldn’t have just put the accusations into the post without experiencing substantial backlash and scrutiny of her claims.
This is not true. If Kat had just left in the section making Ben look bad, everyone would have been “what? Where is the evidence for this? This seems really bad?”.
The way it is written it still leaves many people with an impression, but alleviates any burden of proof that Kat would have had.
You might still think it’s a fine rhetorical tool to use, but I think it’s clear that Kat of course couldn’t have just put the accusations into the post without experiencing substantial backlash and scrutiny of her claims.