Am I a bad person for playing a gambit opening?

https://www.chess.com/game/live/104073567069

Am I a bad person for playing a gambit opening? 

I just got a lot of abuse from a very angry player because I played a gambit against the Caro Kann. He said I was destroying other peoples experiences by playing trap openings, and that he hoped I had the worst day of my life.

No you are not a bad person. Chess is a game. You can play as you see fit.
To prevent abuse, switch off chat.

I have chat turned off most of the time. Usually, when people ask for chat they say something positive, like good game. But this guy was really furious and unpleasant.

Screenshot those peoples messages and put them in your profile as a wall of shame

some of the comments were really unpleasant. He had a way of being really nasty without using an actual swear word

he blundered, lost the game and instead of admitting his failure he threw a childish tantrum.

I find that its interesting when players go for rare gambits because it forces you to play chess instead of memorizing opening lines.

correct. In fact, e6 before releasing the bishop is also an error in the Caro Kann. He seemed to be under the impression that good chess players play slow methodical openings and never try anything aggressive until later on. Or maybe he just expected me to lose, haha

In general most people play trap openings for a quick win because they dont respect their opponent. In this case though, he just played bad.

Wow, I didn't realize gambits were seen as a sign of disrespect. It is more attacking chess. You give up a pawn and try to get an attack. If your opponent is good enough they will survive it and have an advantage

You should report the guy. I hope the staff does what needs to be done, and bans him.

This forum thread, on the other hand, does nothing. There is just no chance that anyone from the staff reads this.

I reported. Hopefully they will do something, but he was a diamond member so I doubt they would ban him. Really nasty guy though.

He started out by saying "you are trying all the tricks, are you?" and then he said "wow" when I sacrificed 2 bishops. I thought after "wow" he might say "good play" but instead he became really abusive. I hope nobody else has to play him, especially if they play gambits and win!

They arent. I said that Trap Openings are a sign of disrespect from your opponent due to them not respecting you enough to play seriously and instead going for hope chess and hoping you dont see whatever trap they are trying to pull off.

Yes, maybe, I don't know, can you repeat the question ?

I'd report the player and then turn off "chat." The player lost and that's that. His/her outburst is what ruins the game, not a tactic used by the opponent.

UPDATE: the person in question actually sent me a message to apologize. Maybe the world isn't such a bad place after all!

After I play f3 (second gambit pawn) many stronger Caro Kann players will play Bf5, or some other move that leaves the pawn on f3. Those lines are tricky for me because I just cant get my knight out and I am forced to throw more pawns forward.

If anyone is interested in this Von Henig gambit, have a look at this. I beat a 2100 player (by my standards that is a STRONG player). https://www.chess.com/game/live/104118009729

No, it means you like chess rather than just tolerate it.

Von Henig is fun. FM William Graif has some excellent content on youtube for it.

Just because you play a certain opening doesn't mean you're a bad person