Huh? I'll let you elaborate on that some more.
Which is why the question: "Do you agree that 4e is much different than any other edition of D&D?" - If that can't be answered with a yes or no I'm not sure what we are doing here. Because that's about the simplest question that can be asked.
IMO. One side loves 4e BECAUSE it was much different. The other side dislikes 4e BECAUSE it was much different.
Can there be other opinions - sure. Can one believe 4e isn't that much different from any other edition of D&D? YES. That's a reasonable stance. How does that relate back to much stronger preferences for 4e than other editions of D&D though? If that's the case I'm curious about that - because at first glance that appears a bit paradoxical to me.
Huh? Join a particular side? I think you are missing a lot of what I am saying.
Which is what happens when someone starts accusations of loaded questions and bad faith.
I agree with you about these possible options – though I don't see Option #3 as particularly paradoxical (One can believe, as Garthanos elucidates above that 4e is much akin to the other editions but achieved greater heights!).
It's not so much the question as the framing of it that was the issue.
(FYI, I'm not trying to single you out either as loading the question or having bad faith – it's easier to respond to one person at a time).
You said yourself that you think a yes is the majority answer, and that you'd be surprised by a no. But you knew already that Aldarc was saying no from earlier in the thread. What's interesting should be the why, and why each of you disagree, rather than the convincing.
The original question felt more like a closing argument asking the judge to agree with you rather than opening it up for more discussion on the topic, at least that's how I read it at first.
At the same time, and especially given the tension of these days, I think we could all do with a little bit more good faith trusting in each other that we're not trying to gotcha and that the medium of writing is not particularly suited toward understanding one another, and tends to heighten disagreements. We're trying to parse it out but it's easy to feel attacked and to want to hit back.
I'm not going to speak to all the points you made here because I don't want to get into an argument on semantics or small details, lest I trigger that same trap floor panel! I think you honestly want to know why Aldarc choose Door Number 3, and that may or may not be for the same reasons as Garthanos said above.