That said, don't you see just a little pot-kettle in this argument you're making -- the argument that there are many who will rationalize their support or opposition as for the betterment of steem, though its really based on their immediate self-interest.
No, I don't. I don't argue that non-abusive content is "harmful" for the platform or that it's somehow unfair to other users. The arguments that I see against my posts or @steemsports is that it is "abuse," "harmful," "unfair," and "draining the rewards pool." All of these claims are dubious, regardless of how much support I or @steemsports have/has.
I have made arguments in the past that certain non-abusive posts are completely overvalued - in my opinion - but I never made a crusade out of it and flagged users based on an absolute misunderstanding of the mechanics/networking involved.
For the record: I still have many of the same criticisms about the platform that I had when I did not have much support. The difference now is that I actually understand how things work around here and I realize that many of the current issues are due to the very small active user base vs. the distribution of stake. Until those things change, the results will essentially be the same as they have been - and users will continue to find "abuse" around every corner. As the active user base grows and the selling/dilution of stake continues, we will likely see many of the issues improve/resolved over time. I just don't see the sense in constantly complaining about things that can't be fixed under our current circumstances. And I certainly don't appreciate other users accusing me of nefarious behavior simply because they don't like my content or don't understand what exactly is happening with it, even after multiple explanations.