> I don't think the parent was calling people people cheerleaders merely for defending him on any level.

Ah, I definitely read it that way. The use of “cheerleaders” leaves little room for ambiguity, I think.

I was watching a brilliant talk from someone quite famous in the nerd world and he was talking about Steve Jobs and the two things he brought to business… paraphrasing, one about being a visionary, and the other about… let’s say “strong management”. I do wonder if you’re right, I hope it’s possible to be nice and great though. Maybe it’s just harder.