As to the chatsubo-backstage compairsion:
I've never really been active on chatsubo, but I read some threads on them and I am honestly of the opinion that there were some threads with a quality that is quite rarely - if at all - reached here on backstage. It's true on the other hand that there were loads of threads which were so much below the mid-line that I didn't read them a lot because they were barely bearable, imho.
As to measuring backstage by the yardstick of chatsubo or not: I don't think that one ex- or precludes the other. As, as has been pointed out here, backstage was started in reaction to what was going on on chatsubo, it's a legit way of measuring backstage by the status of the late chatsubo. Still, on the other hand it should be also able to stand on it's own merits.
I, as someone who hasn't used chatsubo actively, don't see how I'm obliged to be grateful for being 'safed' from experiencing chatsubo or why I should feel 'blessed' because I have a moderated forum - especially not more or less so than someone who did experience chatsubo. Getting told that I have to feel like that, that I should 'consider myself blessed' feels quite like being patronized and is really one of the big problems I have with the EVE community - there is, I feel, a strong tendency of older players to be patronizing towards younger players, especially with those players who're mainly into pvp and have a track record of success in that department. (I also personally feel that moderation is more lax in regard to old, established players versus new people, though that is to be expected in a relatively small, tight-knit community. Still, I think that backstage is quite balanced in that regard, moreso than I'd expect from experience and I'd like to give cudos to the moderators for that, while on the same time raising awareness for that as the opportunity presents itself here, as it's still something one could work on in my opinion.)
So, I feel like a criticism that aims at whether backstage can stand on it's own or can/should be improved in one or another way shouldn't be merely responded to with something along the lines of 'but in respect to chatsubo it's a success'. The latter might - and I think is - true, but it's imho just not the proper response. There are many good things about backstage and I'm happy to have it. I'm also thankful to the moderators for the job they do largely to the vast profit of the community. I still think, though, that there's room for improvement - on both sides, of course, the moderators as well as the moderated, but standing on one side makes me see especially the failings of the other, I guess.