I don’t think anyone’s “afraid” to say it, nobody’s going to come and put you in jail for saying media that’s about and for men and their experiences is a good thing. Although I don’t think men are starved for male protagonists.
What do you mean by rubbing shoulders with unpleasant youtube grifters? Are you watching them and taking what they say seriously, or just failing to disagree with them on this one thing?
Honestly, it’s surprising to me that “Fandom Menace” grifters are still around. Disney Star Wars has been consistently pointless and not worth following for years now, nobody I know in real life is even watching it anymore. It’s also why I feel really surprised about the backlash to the Acolyte.
Not to shit on Star Wars too much. The reason we’re still talking about it, and the reason we’re still coming back here, is because it meant something to us once and we have a lot to say.