You were certainly not "asking for it." Engaging in a political discussion is asking for it? No. Yeah, I think you're right that stuttering hasn't quite been put into the category of sort of "no longer acceptable" when it comes to mocking. And, right, not always thought of as disability or disorder. And still little understanding of what it really does to a person...unfortunately. But I think what happened to you is unusual. Someone you'd had no contact with for years? A full fledged adult (in name only, obviously) coming into a civil discussion and doing what you describe? I do think it's atypical. This person has something very wrong with him/her. There's an age beyond which that kind of behavior cannot be explained by youth. This person wasn't flaming you. Meaning, they weren't just calling you nasty names based on a disagreement about the subject discussed (of course that's very common with strangers) -- they were mocking you (very cruelly) for something they happen to know about you personally. I wouldn't say this never happens, but I don't believe it's a normal occurrence. Certainly not with someone years out of high school. Pathetic..... I'm sorry you had to experience this.