I had some thoughts on the situation that I wanted to express. I don't want to post them in the main thread as I know how that'll end up. I genuinely do hope that Alexei sees this post. I'm expecting to be compared to a child again, and told I'm in a clique again. That's cool.
Let me just get some real talk off my mind for a sec. I know that Alexei has expressed some uncertainty as to why others consider him a troll. I don't think for a second that that's genuine. I hope it's not, as it implies a complete lack of self awareness. The argument provided is that there are no Hype rules that are being broken, and that no derogatory names are being bandied about. That's all well and good, but that's not the point. Often it's not about what you say, but how you say it. Not about what you do, but how you hold yourself. Not about what you think, but how forceful you are with said opinions and how open you are to other points of view.
Let me briefly make a real world analogy that should be relevant to most. Say the main Avengers thread is a dinner party. There's a general atmosphere that is pleasant. People are excited, and the conversation takes on that general tone. The thread will get off topic, that's not the issue. There are other things to discuss, and the other people present perhaps provide points of view that you won't find elsewhere. That's healthy, and that's generally how individuals grow as people. Things will get heated, but people understand it's a detour and the ship will right itself. It's inevitable, and what everyone wants. People bring new guests and they provide new insights and new points of view, which is fantastic. That's the whole point of socializing, be it in person or online.
But then there's that one guest. You know the type. He breaks the china, complains that the food is taking too long. He's overly forceful and not accepting of other worldviews. Worst of all, he refuses to let the conversation guide itself back to a healthy place, as conversations are wont to do. The general atmosphere becomes unpleasant, people no longer enjoy themselves, and it's uncomfortable for everyone. And when he's informed of the faux pas, rather than any introspection or even simple respect, he plays the victim card. "You all are mean, you all judge me, you all hate my unpopular opinion and I'm not allowed to express myself." It's a very large and fairly obvious inability to gauge how one is coming off and an unwillingness to allow anyone else any say in the direction a conversation takes. Unpopular opinions are great, when they are fresh and talking points rather than tired and rehashed.
So it's not the thoughts that are being expressed, it's the atmosphere in which they're being presented. It's not that the opinions are unpopular, it's that they are perpetually being discussed without anything new to add and forced down everyone's throats. It's not that there's a "clique" that's being mean, it's that there are certain individuals who are doing everything in their power to suck the fun out of these boards for the dozens of other individuals who frequent them. It's a seemingly gargantuan inability to gauge a social atmosphere and enter it rather than attempting to force it into an unwanted and unnecessary direction.
Sorry for my rambling, just trying to put my thoughts together on the matter.
