Hey, @nickyhavey.
I've done my fair share of "rambling" comments, aka, covering the topic, so absolutely no worries on my end. :)
There is definitely an expectations game being played, and no doubt it is hard, even if someone came in when STEEM was just above $0.50 USD, to see it drop to nearly $0.16 now. Especially since those of us who were here when it jumped to $8 tend to let people know that, and of course, there's all the historical charts of where STEEM has been and the projections of where it could be in the future. When desire is one thing and reality is another, it can grate.
Which is why, as you say, it's good that there are other things to do to keep earning other than post creation, and it's good that there are people taking advantage of them.
Most cases have a positive and negative side. When you hit rock bottom, there's no place to go but up. No one wants to hit rock bottom, but in a few cases, that's what it's going to take before life can turn around, because at some point, expectations need to better align with reality, or vice versa.
I also agree about the investment part. There was a definite pick up in earnings as I invested. I don't know how much, but I have been doing better since HF20 then I did before that, and that was also about the time of my last STEEM buys. I know there are many people in all parts of the world that can't afford to buy in. I don't know what to do for them. I just know that the more someone can stake, the more it tends to attract earnings. The system is set up that way, and since there's absolutely know hint that it will ever change, that's reality. So, revoking the sweat and time investment isn't going to get someone, as you point out, on any platform, anywhere, where they ultimately want to go.