I have a hard time believing those Steemians I have met or regularly interact with on chain are some kind of crooks because most people in the wider world aren't. At the very least, as reputation is a public matter, we can discuss whether or not "very, very few" Steemians have their reputations intact.
I think it's a hyperbolic statement. I have never even come across an accusation against the majority of Steemians. Accusations are always leveled against a minority, and nearly always those with a lot of stake. It seems to me that, at worst, you could say that in the eye of the public, "the rich" are the crooked ones here.
I didn't say very few Steemians, I said very few I have known. It is a smaller group and I spend some of my on chain time in places you likely don't. It is levelled against the large stake because that is the most obvious and attracts the most attention. The rich are always the crooked ones in the eye of the public.
So, from time to time you don your hazmat suit and head for the vermin-infested sewers of Steem? What do you see there?
I bump into him often :)
Hah!
Yeah, it is part of the game of Steems I like. =D
Edit: There are all kinds of things to find, lots of paper trails to follow.