It's easy to spot the difference between theft and no theft.
If you didn't get anything from the Hive airdrop your finances stayed the same. You still had your Steem. It sucked, but nothing gained nothing lost. Not getting something for free isn't illegal.
With Steem's HF someone takes away funds you payed for without your consent. Nothing gained, everything lost. Taking people's property they bought against their will is very much a theft and illegal. I don't understand how anyone can equate the two situations as the same thing.