Has Zack really been "keeping relationships with all sides"?
Is there anyone outside CG circles who has any sort of "relationship" with Richard Meyer? Do you think people outside of CG who know who Zack is all of a sudden think he's a cool dude because he stopped sperging about cum dumpsters and isn't being mean to Mark Waid and Kwaanza anymore? He has no relationships outside of CG.
For that matter, does it seem like he has any relationships
inside CG? The only person who ever really talks about him is Ethan. Sure, he has professional contact with guys like Narwhal and Kelsey because he needs artists for his books, but the one guy who actually likes Zack and considers him a personal friend is a guy Zack doesn't want to be around in any public capacity. He won't accept Ethan's help or advice, he won't come on the show to bullshit for a few minutes, he won't do anything to acknowledge Ethan in any way, despite Ethan only ever helping Zack succeed.
As for the culture war stuff, Zack is definitely
not staying away from that shit. Look at what he's uploaded in the last couple of weeks:
View attachment 3388319
It's "SJW" this and that. It's gay pride bullshit. It's Twitter slapfights (which he supposedly "stepped outside" of as well). And it's praising Doug Ernst.
I believe the reason he stopped doing livestreams is because he's a control freak who hates having his assumptions and actions questioned and would rather not have to talk about any mistakes he may have made. Even on his YouTube channel he selectively deletes comments that aren't sufficiently complimentary. It's definitely not so he could have relationships with anybody or to get away from the culture war.
I'm reminded of blind hogs finding truffles. Richard has been doomsaying as long as he's been doing YouTube. He'll eventually be right at some point.
We've all witnessed Zack's uncanny ability to reach the absolutely wrong conclusions despite all evidence, so whatever "epiphanies" he may have had about CG were likely worthless.
The thing is, he hasn't really avoided shit. Ernst still orchestrated hit pieces on him by proxy for the last 3 years. People still think he's the comic ripping sperg. All he's managed to do by separating himself from CG and livestreams is hurt his business and that is just a fact. Between dropping CG and making all the wrong choices, I'd estimate he's cost himself at least a million dollars in the last two years. If that's Zack's idea of "big picture stuff", he sucks at it.
Zack has spent a ton of time talking about "SJW Mean Girls" and rimming Doug Ernst's butthole just this week. But when Ernst does some SJW Mean Girls shit directly involving Zack, all of a sudden Zack has nothing to say? He's just got no time for that kind of shit even though that's all his channel is? The economy tanking is suddenly more important but it just wasn't a big deal four days ago when he was recording his lovefest for Iconic and talking about SJW shit that didn't involve him.
I mean, I can get not wanting to be involved in a general sense, but to not even say "fuck you" to a guy who spent 3 years shitting on him behind some retard's YouTube channel is spineless. Zack never did anything to Ernst that would warrant the shit Ernst was saying about him and Zack is just gonna take it because that's who he is now.