Yes, the MAX has a somewhat tarnished reputation now, well helped by a sensationalist media that smelled blood in the water (literally). Boeing did some really awful decisions about the MAX, like not telling anyone about MCAS, as well as trying to save a few dollars on not hooking up the second AOA sensor so they could compare values.
I do understand where this comes from. A quote from the Al Jazeera program “Broken dreams” pointed out that Boeing used to be this innovative company that was passionate about aviation. Today it is run by accountants that don’t give a rats a** about aviation, safety, planes, passengers or pilots. Their biggest fear is to actually have to invest in a new aircraft program. This is also why you see them beating all their dead horses, and resurrecting designs from the 1950’s that would never pass certification today.
That being said, I love the MAX. I would have no reservation to keep flying it after several hundred hours on it, even after the pathetic worldwide panic that spread like wildfire on March 12 despite having no new information on the table.
Yes the investigation is in progress, and the conclusion is probably years away, but the solid information so far from documents, FDRs and CVRs gives me a somewhat clear indication that neither the QRH, FCOM, FCTM or other publications guidelines was followed correctly in either case. IMO there is no need for additional training to operate the MAX now, the requirement was to accomplish the initial training correctly, and that obviously did not happen with all operators.