There's certainly a valid point there, but not all people do it so I think it has a lot to do with an entitlement mindset -- the idea that everything everywhere must be designed for you in mind.
Your point #4 seems to me something particularly needed, as a sort of pre-quiz before using the site. For-profit sites aren't going to do it because they want to make starting a new account as frictionless as possible, to encourage people to create the account and start engaging. But if the purpose is to both inform new users of site features and expected behavior, and the outcome to create fewer clashes between older and newer users, it could be well worth it.
You're right about how meta can be considered particularly upsetting, because even if fiction expresses the same views it's not as direct. By contrast, most meta is a specific, personal point of view on something. And even when it's a more general piece, say, presenting evidence of current trends, people might want to shoot the messenger.
Re: Thoughts
Your point #4 seems to me something particularly needed, as a sort of pre-quiz before using the site. For-profit sites aren't going to do it because they want to make starting a new account as frictionless as possible, to encourage people to create the account and start engaging. But if the purpose is to both inform new users of site features and expected behavior, and the outcome to create fewer clashes between older and newer users, it could be well worth it.
You're right about how meta can be considered particularly upsetting, because even if fiction expresses the same views it's not as direct. By contrast, most meta is a specific, personal point of view on something. And even when it's a more general piece, say, presenting evidence of current trends, people might want to shoot the messenger.