Negativity around the Salamanders

So, I'm pretty new to 40k, having only started in November, and I've started collecting Salamanders.
I fell in love with the Salamanders after watching the Pariah Nexus show and enjoy the idea of them being those noble defenders who selflessly hield the innocent from harm.

Before I started collecting them I heard nothing negative around them...my friends told me they were some of the kindest people you'll find in 40k and that most people love the Salamanders. I was pleased and definitely excited to play them.

So I start collecting them and painting them, and now I have, all I'm hearing from my friends and particularly my new flatmate is how they still genocide alien species and that they're still irredeemably evil...and honestly, it's starting to burn me out. I'm really tired of hearing it, and I'm sick of hearing about the Eldar child. It's almost making me just want to stop playing Warhammer entirely, because it's not amusing. I wanted to play heroes, but now everyone just won't stop reminding me how they're still blood thirsty murderers and horrible people.

Any advice? It's starting to kill my enjoyment of the game a bit even though I'm trying not to take their words on board.