This was an interesting post. I tend to think of the community not in terms of equality, but in terms of distance (e.g., I'm about as likely to know Writer A as I am Stephen King, so why can't my review of Writer A's fic be as honest as my review of Stephen King's book?) and perhaps that's why I can't understand the culture of niceness inherent in most of fandom.

Thanks for framing your argument so clearly. It's great food for thought.