I've noticed a lot of speculation on these forums as to the motivation of highsec gankers. Many phytopklankton (carebears) seem to have it all figured out. They've concluded that we're sadists who are only out to ruin the gaming of others. I find this to be presumptuous and kinda rude. I don't even attempt to speculate as to what in god's name compels them to mine all day, but to each their own.
They are partial to personal attacks, projecting all their own subconscious insecurities upon us by calling us pathetic fat children with no friends and no life. They are quick to point out that highsec gankers are bottom-feeding, only one level removed from the bottom of the food chain. Keeping with the oceanic analogy that would make us Krill. I rather like that. I can live with being a krill, and admittedly I occasionally get swallowed by a whale. Though, it seems that the phytoplankton are much less secure with their position on the great space-food chain. (The bottom.) They struggle to accept it. They reject any rationale behind why people "pick on them", insisting instead that it must be for easy kills, tear harvesting, or due to some sort of personality disorder. Quite often this may be true, though I hesitate to diagnose people as sociopaths on the sole basis that they like exploding mackinaws. The phytoplankton seem to think that people should just leave them alone. I personally blame certain other (childrens) MMO's for instilling in them the idea that anyone in the game deserves to be "left alone".
I'm not going to go into the reasons why a safe highsec would be terrible for everyone, it's fairly obvious to most people. It would be fundamentally contradictory to the spirit and intent of EVE Online, and if you don't get that or disagree, I don't know what to tell ya. James 315, being the bottomless well of patience that he is, has graciously spelled it out in his manifestos and theMittani.com article.
So if nowhere in New Eden should be safe beyond the undock, then it falls on someone to keep it that way does it not? The lack of krill feeding in highsec because of some silly sense of ~e-honor~ thereby making it effectively safe would be as bad as if the phytoplankton got their way and CCP coded them safe. Therefor, someone's got to do it.
Like the ocean, a healthy and diverse evecosystem is dependent upon phytoplankton and krill. Now, prey are understandably resentful of predation, but I think if they were able to view their own horrible deaths objectively, they would see that the highsec ganker is in fact a noble creature, doing his job just like they do theirs.
Alright, I'm not gonna ask for a thank you the next time I blow up a noob in his first mining-frigate. In fact, I think since our two occupations are inherently adversarial, we should feel free to despise, demonize, and dehumanize each other. But let us ever bare in the back of our minds, that krill need phytoplankton, and phytoplankton need krill.
In conclusion, I'm the best person ever. Thank you for your time. Also, death to Gallente.