I do not get why everyone disses Evan like he is a lousy skater. It does get annoying and I think it is a trend, at least here. i will have to look at FSU to see if trend prevails on other discussion board.
Unfortunately, it does. Dissing Evan has been a long-time trend, dissing Patrick is a newer trend, etc. These trends are very much part of online fandom, and they bug me too.
I respect all of the top skaters that you mentioned - they all have different strengths and qualities to admire. I'm glad Evan is returning to competition, if he feels motivated to continue in the sport.
FS will never be a totally friendly discussion until they make the rules simpler, fairer, and make the judging transparent.
I wish that were possible but I don't think it is. All of the judged sports have problems in this area, but figure skating most of all, IMO, because it truly is a blend of sport and art, an experience that can be as much emotional as intellectual for the viewer. Some people will respond to technical difficulty, others to interpretation, power/speed, musicality, complexity, simplicity (with beautifully finished moves/edges/lines), risk-taking/boldness, careful/precise/accurate execution, ice command, delicacy, etc. All of these qualities can be admired, but depending which a person most values, they will likely favour one skater over another. I think it's impossible to create a marking rubric to capture and weight all of this in a way everyone would agree with.
Unfortunately medals and therefore a marking scheme are necessary for the sport to be funded. For governments or other sponsors to invest money in the sport, and for skaters to invest their own time&money in pursuing competitive goals (including the ultimate goal of the Olympics), there need to be winners and losers, and a ranking - although saying that someone was 2nd not 3rd, or 7th not 9th is usually pretty meaningless in this sport, IMO.
On the positive side, figure skating is one of the most difficult and most beautiful sports in existence, and watching it is a joy. I hate to see any skaters dissed, because they work so hard and are doing the best they can within the boundaries of the sport. They aren't celebrities or reality-TV personalities (thank heavens), and they work for years without expectations of getting rich.