If you would explain to me what you think about what I said was derogatory I would be appreciative in that perhaps it would help me communicate in a way which others do not find offensive, however I can assure you that when I wrote what I wrote I did not mean to communicate anything negative or derogatory. Perhaps something has been lost in translation as they say.
The first quote is a statement of facts. There are Chassidim who choose to be insular and not to discuss Chassidus in public. This is a historical truth.
That there are Chassidim who do not study Toras Hachassidus, especially not early works is also a statement of truth. I am not passing judgement I am just pointing out that it exists.
The second quoted comment is also a fact. There is such a thing as cultural Hasidism which is an offshoot of popular Hasidism where Chassidus is understood to be the unwavering cleaving to custom and community. If you thought I was being judgemental when I said, “it isn’t my fault that…” what I meant to communicate was that Neville is confused about the ideology promulgated in early Toras HaChassidus because he does not see that ideology practiced by groups of people who use the title of Chassidim. I.E. there are different groups using the title Chassidus even though they have different ideologies. The fact that for example Satmar says X, Chabad says Y, and Stolin says Z is incidental, anecdotal, and irrelevant to my claim about early Chassidic ideology.
My third quoted statement is also plainly a statement of fact. Anyone who has studied Chassidic texts, culture, and history knows the differences between Chabad shita, Shita of the Noam Elimelech and his students, shita of Stolin and its offshoots, etc. etc. There were talmidim of the maggid who opposed the Admor Hazaken because he propogated the idea that every person has to study pnimiyus hatorah in depth in order to truly love and be in awe of Hashem. Many of them held it was sufficient for Tzadikim and talmidei chochomim to study pnimiyus hatorah and for the hamon am to be inspired by the tzadikim and for their primary divine service to be emotional prayer and simple faith.
Again, if you feel something I said above came across as derogatory I stress that that was not my intention.