I think it's pretty clear that greed is driving the forces behind the "unwritten rules" too. What those posters really want is for everyone who isn't playing the Core Game of creating and discovering content to fuck off, so they can earn much more Steem at a much lower price point, presumably on the theory that it will increase in value later.
That's the underlying mathematical logic of the "stealing the rewards pool" argument, which is otherwise nonsense. But of course they can't say straight out that they want the price to drop or no one would support them.
Cue Imagine Dragons - Demons
I think I'm going to cover this song.
Your hypothesis is totally rational to me. Although I don't think most are fully aware of their subconscious survival and self-sabotage strategies.
I posted that video below because the lyrics are so soul bearing.