I mean did people really not realize that bitconnect wasn't set up like a pyramid scheme. Many HYIPs have this same type of setup and the people who do invest in them, only do so as a type of high risk investment. Like you said, you knew going in that you might lose all the money you had invested in bitconnect and that's the right attitude - to see it as a high risk investment.
I think the hate for bitconnect comes more from that many of the members who lost money to the scheme were newer entrants to the crypto community and thus were not used to the pitfalls that can happen in this unregulated environment.