What is "this" you ask? The community outside the game of course.
I'm not saying that FFXIV's community is a special case as that's not true in the slightest. This is what MMORPG communities have become for better and for worse.
No matter which forum you go to, the people there exist to suck all the enjoyment and fun out of the game for everyone that dares to step inside.
Why the game is dying, why it is being run to the ground, how the devs just don't get it... you name it, the forums are ******** about it.
"Stay out of the forums then, Hyan!"
You're right, that should do the trick. But I like browsing the forums as well as taking part in the discussions. There's some valuable information to be found, both from the players and the devs. For the majority of the time it is a playground of many sad individuals with an agenda though.
I'm enjoying myself, playing the game as it was intended to be played. I will enjoy it even more once 2.1 hits in a few weeks. I've my fair share of issues with the game but if you remove all the hyperbole, there's little dealbreakers to be had there. The game hits my buttons in a totally different way from how FFXI did (a game with its own fair share of issues indeed). The in-game community that I am in contact with is nothing but oblivious to any "problems", it's all quite neutral. Warrior's aren't in a high demand but that's about it.
Once I go to the forums, though, I am hit with a constant stream of complaints stating why I should not be enjoying myself and the design choices by the devs. Why the weekly lockout timers are the devil (even when the demographic I am in benefits from these lockout timers immensely). How we are not getting enough content when I will be hard pressed to have caught up by the time 2.4 hits the servers.
Even though it doesn't concern me it can be demoralizing. It is noticeable. When I am in-game, I find myself thinking how much this game has given me so far. When I browse the forums, I start to get annoyed by all the "problems" in the game and its future.
I could defend the game but that doesn't change the fact that I just wouldn't like playing it as much as before.
The lesson to be had here is: don't go to the forums if you want to keep liking the game.
Ps. I'm not including ZAM forums in the list as I haven't browsed here in a while.