This is certainly not a new problem, but an ever present and recurring one. Often seen as the de facto leader of the group, tanks face a lot of pressure from their peers, often defaulted to take responsibility for the route, pacing, pull cadence, and positioning of enemies, while also taking the brunt of player frustrations should any of those things go awry. This isn't just an issue in high-end Mythic+ either. Even Timewalking, which is just about the lowest-level group activity open to the broadest range of players, is saturated with entitlement, as players demand their tanks pull faster, know more, avoid unnecessary downtime, and woe to anyone who doesn't live up to those expectations.
For their part, Blizzard has tried to address this in several different ways over the years, including a brand new system in Midnight. The Lindormi's Guidance affix is directly aimed at beginner tanks, but now any tank of any key level can turn on Lindormi's Glow in Patch 12.0.5, albeit without the combat benefits. It may not necessarily be the best route, but you don't need to copy MDI strats to complete a +10 either!
In Patch 12.0.5, players can turn on an abbreviated form marking enemy forces without any of the combat advantages.
While its true that you cannot expect everyone to act with maturity on the internet, there's also an underappreciated benefit to being in such high demand: the group is at the mercy of the tank. Rather than put up with a toxic and overbearing behavior, the tank can simply leave, with a relative surety that they'll be able to find a new group much faster than the troublemakers. That's not to say its a great idea to leave groups over and over again at the slightest hint of provocation, lest they get labeled a Dungeon Deserter, but overly demanding damage dealers are generally more dependent on the tank than the other way around. In most cases, simply taking a moment to report and ignore toxic players is enough, keeping unwanted comments out of sight and out of mind.
It's been a problem for years and will probably continue to be.
Tanking Harder or Just More Intimidating?
When asking players to try tanking, the biggest hurdle isn't the gameplay, so much as the knowledge gap. No role or specialization is truly hard to play, but each has its own considerations and concerns. Tanks, at least at the mid-level, are less concerned with damage output so much as pacing and personal survival, which is where the pressure comes in: A tank messing up is more likely to result in their death or a group wipe, but they also have a lot more personal control over that, whereas DPS are just along for the ride.
As it turns out though, this is also one of the best times to get into tanking. Midnight Season 1 is widely regarded as one of the easiest Mythic+ seasons to date, with generous timers and a general reduction in the amount of simultaneous mechanics players are expected to deal with. While there is a lot of burden on tanks, there's no end of cheat sheets and video guides to help players identify important mechanics. Outside of the highest key levels, playing a tank is often more forgiving than players may realize too, since their inherent survivability tends to give them a lot more leeway when it comes to taking an extra hit or standing in bad. While not completely immortal, tank privilege is very real!
So, if you have the capability, consider swapping to tank a spec for an easier time getting into groups. If you don't have the capability, be nice to your tanks and keep them close, for they are a very precious commodity.
