Let me share something personal with you. When I first joined ET (November last year) I was at a crossroads, lost, and looking for the warmth of the tribe. That warmth I did find, and appreciation, and recognition, and much newer to me, humility.
When I left, it was because what I sensed over there was too much of ego massage, perhaps not enough of my own, for that matter. I do not qualify to answer your so right to to the point questions as my own story with ET is too much of a love and hatred one.

Among the many things I owe ET is discovery that the tip jar is actually a great invention.
Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you only have this single one (after Paul Claudel, rusty translation being my trade mark). Ego massage is dangerous only if that's all what it's about. ET is so much beyond that. And ego massage is good in a world otherwise made of doom day augurs.

When through hell, just keep going. W. Churchill