I was also pretty caught up in the hype train of 50/50 rewards being a bad thing but the messaging came from a lot people in the same circle which is normal I suppose. I think that people make as if tech is not in a liquid state and that changes made cant be reverted if it doesn't have the desired effect/ We're still in beta and trying to figure out the best way forward. There clealry has been slow trickle down and poor retention on steemit so if you want to keep the circle jerk by all means.
I'm not sure if its because people are living off of steem that they are so emotional. This is just beer money and having fun with it so im not too phased if i am or am not rewarded for things I post, share or comment about.
Your very last paragraph is no doubts DA BEST
Well, I have mixed feelings about 50/50 and my curiosity about it, was peaked. With a cool down time, I feel like it is all in the hands of the stake holders, if they keep coin stacking, the site will likely continue to not grow.