Thanks again for your support.
A quick answer for your question.
Many emperors and important roman citizens gave their favour to the "scutarii" and hates raetiarii and, sometimes, also the "parmularii". Because the "scutarii", like the murmillo or the secutor, were very colse to the roman legionary, they used the same techinques or very similar, and rappresented the roman virtues in battle and fighting. Not the raetiarius, who used and hit and run techinque, not a martial technique in a "roman" sense. For emperors and roman commanders raetiarii were mere cowards. Emperor Commodus fought as a secutor in the arena and Caligola, the pretended mad emperor, many times was dressed as a raetiarius in the all-day life, with big shame by the patricians and the senators.
But not for the common people. Maybe as a reaction to their rulers, maybe for the reasons that, usually, the raetiarii were the most handsome among the gladiators o for the news of this gladiatorial category but the plebs love them, despite the ruling class.
I think they were not very different from us.
Wait for the second part......when I'll have some spare time. Just be patient. Sorry.