Ok, can I just address this in meta, rather than specifically in relation to ship allegiance? It seems to me that CS are currently the majority of the hard-core vocal fans, yes? Perhaps even the majority of the show’s viewership? There’s probably a reason for this that has to do with self-selection — the people who have stuck with the show are likely the ones who either enjoy CS, or at least don’t object to it enough to drop the show, or who are simply casual viewers less likely to participate on social media. Then there’s a smaller section of the fandom who are watching the show for other reasons, and who are not fans of CS.
Lets say that CS is in fact the majority of OUAT’s fandom — this is indeed what @Michael seems to suggest every time s/he posts. Lets also say that all things considered, they are the population for whom OUAT/ABC caters — I often see opinions, both among pro and anti CS that OUAT is now Once Upon a Hook. So, in other words, we could say that the CS fandom is currently the primary beneficiary of the OUAT product (in terms of screen time for their favs, satisfying story lines, attention and promo work etc).
Then would it not be potentially problematic that the representatives of a majority population within a larger whole who also happen to be the ones who benefit the most (get the most pleasure) from the OUAT “commons” would interpret the opinions of the minority subset as either (a) oppression against them, (b) as dissent that must be disciplined or squashed or (c) fair game for ad hominem attacks? I get that people don’t generally play nice in this fandom, that much is obvious, even from the actors’ recent commentary. But there’s something pretty totalitarian to the impulse to demand adulation for your ship no matter where you go. I’m not saying that’s everyone, and I’m not saying that CSers are the only ones (I hear SQ was bad too). I’m saying that if one is a card-carrying anti-CSers or anti-Hook, I have a hard time imagining that being told to “fall in line” so that other CSers, who are admittedly the majority, could be comfortable is going to sway anyone — for very obvious social reasons that I hope I don’t need to explain.
Not to mention that the complaints that this forum excludes or chases off CS fans by being critical of CS is a pretty lowball move that pins the people who run it and mod it, and who don’t necessarily share the opinion of its denizens, against the people who use it routinely. Not only does it completely homogenize the users who are not vociferously pro-CS as all ‘antis,’ but I find it especially ironic in light of the simultaneous claims that most of the rest of social media is dominated by CS. I mean, do you see how that sounds?