I think you make some valid points, Way, but then again, I also believe your bedside manner may need some adjustments as well.
I am not sure the intent of this thread except maybe to stir up the crowd a little, but I do agree with you about the "being mean" part on occassion. Sometimes I don't think people are intentially mean, but I do think they sometimes come across that way. We artistic types tend to wear our feelings on our collars so sometimes an unfortunately misworded post may provoke a sometimes unwarranted emotional reply. Other times, we sometimes get defensive in justification of the multi-thousand dollar purchase we just made. Who wouldn't! Ever talk to someone who just purchased a new car and have them tell you it was junk? Of course not! We all like to think that we made a great purchase. I do agree that sometimes the Cannon/Nikon wars get out of hand.
As far as photography verses equipment goes, do keep in mind that this is not primarily a photography web site. Rather it is a photographic equipment technical web site. The forums are segragated along manufacturer or brand and most of the people coming here are looking for advice on what to purchase or how to use what they just purchased. The focus here is equipment, the photographic discussions are typically knock-offs to someone trying out a new piece of equipment or displaying what they just created with their new toys. This should be expected here.
There are many other web sites devoted to the art and profession of photography where equally emotional discussions occur. If there is one thing more difficult to objectively determine than the best piece of photo gear, it would have to be what is and what isn't a good picture. Can an out of focus image be a good photograph, I guess so, but when talking about wedding portraiture, it is probably not what most people are looking for in a wedding album most of the time. A lot of times, these images were not planned by the photographer to create any particular mood or emotion, but occurred because of poor technique or by accident -- hardly creative intention. Can a throw-away make a good image, sure but the probability is that it won't be as good as an image made with high quality equipment and a trained and experienced photographer -- even a mediocre one! Wedding photography in particular is a lot of "history" recording, but there is room for an artistic eye.
Don't be so hard on the folks here, Way. Most are hear to talk about equipment and to get advice. I think for the most part the exchanges are civil and most people try to be sincere in their questions and their responses. Sometimes it gets out of hand, but I think that is the exception.
On the other hand, we all have the option of participating or not. There is nothing that says we have to click on any thread or that we can't stop reading one once we determine that it will offend us.
