I'm trying hard to rise above all this, but can't resist...
Rananim
When things go from bad to worse,the very worst person you could have on board would be a pedant.
No. First of all, the pedant is more likely to have prevented things from going from bad to worse in the first place. Second, if the situation is covered by the rulebook (SOPs, legislation, manuals, etc) he's more likely to know the answer. Being a pedant, he will have studied their meaning very closely. Third, if the situation is not covered by the rulebook, then there is nothing to be pedantic about and he is just as likely as any other pilot to come up with the solution.
Just go back to page 1 and look at the scenario complained of. Insisting that the FOs hand stays where the SOP says it should means that the Capt is confident that his own hand movements will not be interfered with. A small thing, but hands clashing can have unexpected and serious consequences. Pedantry: Appropriate. Compare with major structural failure in the middle of nowhere. Pedantry: Inappropriate.