Not sure if that changes anything for you, but in our community, I’ve been voted 2nd strongest scum for two years in a row.
What you're reading here is just a combination of clumsiness, not being up to date with anything, and having to face Monti, who I think has been very wrong most of the time recently, but has a lot of enthusiasm to try to enforce any idea that has came into his mind without much investigation.
How would I have played this as scum? Not sure, really. But I guess I’d be more cautious, less eager to just say something.