Well, the check just served a different purpose, it was to distinguish parody and troll accounts from authentic ones. I think it's role as status symbol is exaggerated.

But charging in pursuit of removing "worthless" users from the platform - you see what I'm saying there right? That's literally constructing an underclass, deciding they are unwashed and unacceptable in refined company, and then charging money to keep them out.

It's the business model of a country club. Maybe it's a cheap country club, that's a difference of degree.

I've paid similar amounts of money to join closed forums before and found them to be enjoyable and relatively free of trolls. I'm not opposed to it in principle. What I was asking about was the contradiction.