>>63840449Well said in turn, and now that you write that makes me realize I've had this argument with fanboys of tech stuff, including tech stuff I very much like!, for decades at this point. In my opinion, REAL fans of something criticize it if they really think there is something to improve. Try to do so constructively and politely yeah, but criticize nonetheless. Saying how something could be better represents effort on your part and also a desire for whatever it is to improve. If you like something, particularly if you really like something, and see them doing something dumb that is hurting them, it makes sense to speak up about it right? Like people talk about "sports teams" with politics, but I don't see serious sports fans hesitating for a second to criticize everything about their team's staffing and coaching and whatever else they think could be better, even while also attending tons of games and loving their teams.
Cult shit isn't just weird it seems to me like it's obviously self-defeating. The big difference between historically great and decent leaders isn't one being perfect vs the other, it's that great leaders surround themselves with other intelligent people not afraid to speak up so that when (not if) they inevitably blunder, people they respect can steer them back on course while course correction is easy. If you surround yourself with yes-men and a cult, even if you unironically are smart and motivated, you WILL faceplant sooner or later in a way that somebody who loved you but wasn't afraid of you could have prevented.