I read the whole, "this post is okay because we educated lurkers" thing, but honestly, if you handed this thread to a person with little to no dog knowledge and had them read it cold-turkey, I think most would come off thinking you were snobbish and would consequently bad-mouth purebred breeders as elitist. I did this, actually, linked this site for a friend of mine, and that was the reaction.
Maybe the OP is out to get a rise out of you. But you don't end up looking great to the lurking masses when you close your eyes, fling insults, and insist that "I didn't see it!" The OP gave curt responses meant to make the opposition look over-aggressive and irrational. Guess what? He met with success. I read a lot of comments generally along the lines of: "look, we said your puppy was cute, okay, just admit that you messed up and tell us you won't do it again!" This feels like a religious confession and repentance. I feel like I've joined a dog cult and the forum is God. You can see why I'm a little iffy here.
And as for the "Well if you can't handle it, leave this forum! Survival of the fittest!" argument? I think that's what makes this forum feel so elitist. For heaven's sake, I'm not here to prove I'm made out of steel and NOTHING CAN KILL ME, I'm here to talk to more experienced people about healthy dog treats and making him comfortable with nail clipping.
I don't want to turn this argument around and seem like an abrasive trouble-maker attacking the Forum Gospel. I just think it's important to let those who are particularly passionate and maybe even a little over-the-top know that sometimes their opinions come across as a little too fire and brimstone for the beginners.
This post isn't a threat saying that if you don't shape up, I'm out. I just feel like I might hit a point where I feel like I have to leave this forum because it's too aggressive, and I think it's only fair to let everyone see why I feel like that.