I must be naive

Obviously I can't speak for anyone else, but personally my experience around the forum hasn't changed since entering DT outside of the fact that I've had some interesting exclusions and conversations about them. I find that trade-history, for example, is a much stronger indicator of someone's ability to get favorable trade-terms. Post-history for signature deals, etc.

This might be a bad comparison, but laws aren't normally created for the sake of introducing a new idea; they are regularly created to articulate and enforce an idea that is already present within the group. Similarly to how someone that conducts themselves in a manner that is more likely to bring the "benefits" you mention into fruition is a more likely candidate for DT.

That old "Correlation does not imply causation" saying, did I explain that terribly?