Thank you @phgnomo – Indeed, this has turned out to be an incredible gift. Writing and posting this was cathartic, more than anything. I just had to get it off my chest. I certainly wasn't expecting such an outpouring of support.
Not giving up, not by a long shot. Adapting....yep!
Debates like this are great! It's a shame that it took your terrible experience to bring this up but now we have different points of view and let's hope that whoever steers this ship takes notice and makes the correct course adjustments!
Alas....it is all of us who collectively steer the ship. Therein' lays both the gift and the problem – how do we come to a consensus about how best to do that?