yeah, i think you tickled a funny bone with the "there is no nostr elite" point right at the end
that's the one that was most accurate but least discussed, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and survivorship bias
it is the most unspoken thing by the elites, always, that's the last thing they want to do is acknowledge they are set apart even though everything they do sets them apart
anyway, it is a really big stretch, IMO, to assert that this point is manipulative, because it's the thing that causes the most visceral reaction in individuals who match the rest of the profile
anyway, he'll get over it... he always was the least pretentious of the cool kids club