I think the disconnect in today's conversation here is the fixation on the comms themselves, rather than what they *represent*. A comm by itself is a meaningless +1 Facebook like that doesn't necessarily indicate whether you've done well, poorly, or otherwise. At the same time, giving a commendation to player A instead of player B usually indicates that, in some way, so long as your choice wasn't "closest name to my mouse cursor", you think A performed better than B.

The point the healer vets are making here isn't "boohoo I didn't get a commendation". It's "I notice that every time I go into a 24-man, commendations come flowing in if I play like a Sylphie, and they don't when I play with actual skill". Which is a clue that the wider community seems to believe that terrible Sylphie gameplay is "good" healing, and skillful healing is not.