This thread is a good example of what PvP really boils down to. We all have opinions. Some of us are happy to just to exist within our own little bubble of thought and occasionally post here or there what ideas we have. Others absolutely love the debate, the arguing, and find themselves coming back to engage in the cacophony again and again. The wisest of us don't even post in warzone threads like these.
In the end, the act of debating and rebuttal is essentially the process of trying to enforce your own line of thinking onto others either by skillful argumentation or sheer brute force. But not everyone wants to engage with an argument. Rather, some would prefer to post an idea and be done with it. Most may respect that, even appreciate the new view. Some however will attack and keep attacking until some sort of capitulation occurs either in their favor or forcibly ended by a moderator.
Playing in Open is engaging with the ED Forums. Every good, bad and grey moral Commander out there will be able to engage with you in space in the same way they engage with you here. You may have nothing but good experiences in Open or the forums and even get a rush resisting the dominance of someone else's will. Some detest even the thought of someone else trying to enforce their will on them, let alone non-consensually.
A bit off topic from original thought, but I wanna say: You may not understand why someone prefers one way or the other, but that's ok. Fight if you wanna fight, hide if you wanna hide, keep arguing and debating and ignoring and so on. But learn to respect others. No means no regardless the medium. A person can be a good person, even if they disagree with you. A player can be a good player, even if they never go Open. Not every skill set in gaming (let alone Elite) revolves around combat, people skills or critical thinking and that's ok. Because the world is full of color, flavors and culture that you don't like and don't want to engage with. But there's still plenty of the world to love that fall inline with your tastes and beliefs. So just chill dudes.
These are just my opinions. My opinions cannot hurt you. My opinions do not have the power to conjure up a twerking Thanos and make him Thanos snap your mom into my bed. My opinions are notorious for being wrong, biased and half-baked. Ask your doctor before ingesting my opinion. Side-effects may include: Nausea, diarrhea, sudden loss of appetite, a compulsion to ingest cold pizza and warm beer, a sudden addiction to coffee, obsessively and compulsively posting dumb things online, developing a lame sense of humor, and sudden death in any video game that totally wasn't your fault because it was lag and your hands were sweaty and your mom decided to vacuum at the wrong moment.
Fly safe CMDRs
O7