Quote Originally Posted by Generalbrock View Post
I've posted in several of the threads on the WoW forums and most people seem pretty supportive of multi-boxing. It seems to be the same few people constantly trying to stir the pot on the forums. I don't think there has been a large upswell of multi-boxing hatred of anything like that. To this day, most of the people I meet in the world are friendly and curious about how I multi-box.
Yes. This sums up the entire debate. Most of the folks I see in the world think it's cool and because I'm helpful when I see someone fighting an elite or getting swarmed, they are usually appreciative.

On social media, though, it's usually one or more of:

* That looks easier than my solo play, ergo it must be BAD.
* I don't know how to do that so it must be cheating and, ergo, BAD.
* They seem to have a lot of money, ergo it must be BAD.
* They have things I haven't been able to get in the game, ergo they must be BAD people.
* They can run their own dungeons while I have to do sucky queues, ergo it is BAD.
* They have massive advantages in every aspect of WoW. No, I don't have to state specifics because it's obvious. It is therefore BAD. Because. You disagree? You're probably an asshole. (see also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzmLFEC014A)
* I am now a popular person in WoW and have been playing it for years and I don't like that playstyle because reasons, ergo it is BAD, because I said so.
* That person is doing something that we used to do but they are doing it better than we did, but that's not competence or research or practice -- it must be because they are cheating and ergo BAD.
* People I like and that I want to like me said this was wrong and abusive and evil and terrible and mean and thus BAD.

Back when we multiboxers were rare, it was understandable that people would fear the unknown. Nowadays, though, it's metastasized from typical ignorant internet clout chasers spewing logical fallacies into pathological mobs. It's odd how many people latch onto something they see online or in the news and parrot the desired talking points, even though the thing they profess to hate largely does not affect them and is neither illegal or immoral. It goes further downhill when these ill-informed Champions Of The Downtrodden see themselves as a valued part of a community, think anyone in said community gives a damn about them, internalize that, and then adopt a "defending the community from the evils of <insert bad thing>" mode of behavior. I suppose this is the necessary end result of people not learning any lessons from history or classic literature. Or just never learning how to resist peer pressure. The Madness of Crowds, indeed.