Great points @meno and I fully agree - especially about how the "evil whales" are the only reason the system exists at all. Steemians should be grateful for every dollar, as the whole thing is a voluntary market experiment.

I think it's good to remember that a lot of the real conversations are happening behind closed doors. When the top witnesses and developers discuss important stuff, they don't need to invite in all the minnows and observers - including you and me - so that stuff probably happens a lot in Discord and private Steem Chat channels. The more someone pontificates in public, the less I figure they're actually in the "real conversation" of the topic.

For me, I just try to make good content and keep paying attention.