Helloooo Jaynee. I would hope to be considered reasonably intelligent - and your question is a valid one. The answer is simple, the goalposts have shifted. I have regularly written rebuttal articles which name specific writers. I don't consider those to be attacks.

I've been very direct in the past as these stories might demonstrate.

https://medium.com/p/828bce6f4b00

https://medium.com/lucid-nightmare/whack-a-woke-james-finn-special-86d6cb79aa11

https://medium.com/p/2a2598b8a8c3

https://medium.com/p/33e674e83a37

Each of those pieces I would consider fair game and Medium has historically done so too. I have never been warned. The piece linked below is significantly less overtly hostile towards the original author and yet a warning has been issued.

This is new for me. It suggests the rules of the game have changed. I will fight my own corner, I would never endorse attacking an author and I believe two or more people should be able to have a debate without the need for an authoritarian referee. The boundaries of that debate need to be framed around very clear rules - these Medium rules are vague and poorly defined. It suggests that feelings being hurt is in some way dangerous, which I entirely disagree with. :o)