Well, by the same token, being fired is a completely different beast than having to suffer the tragedy of being afraid a coworker might think a negative stereotype about you.
I know who I think the victim is.
I know who I think the victim is.
Being fired is a discrete event. It happens, you move on with life, next job.
Now try to live your whole professional life going through the second scenario, then come back in 20 years and tell me if that was a tragedy or not.