I can well appreciate the question and understand the frustration. It's generated by the apparent inability to use discretion, common sense and be flexible. Trouble is, and as noted by the stories, there are sometimes when you can land OK and some when you shouldn't try. How do you know which is when?
Myself, at SPL, crossed the OM at 3000' perpendicular to the rwy en-route to the hold. A/C CAT 1. RVR 500m. Oops. Last flight of the night and div was BUS. Fully visual with the full length of the rwy; tower 3km's from the threshold and zillions of feet in the air. What to do? Luckily a KLM was also inbd. Discussed if he was doing an autoland; luckily yes. Radar vectors to 4.5nm behind and a PIREPS on landing please. KLM declared that "RVR was well in excess of what was being given"; we declared visual, landed. Filed a report to effect and nothing heard. Lucky for us. But it was slant range visual at OM. Recently a colleague at GRO rwy 20 ILS, CAT 1, saw everything at DA. As PF (F/O) flared it all went very dark and correctly they made a G/A. landed on the other end NPA.
It is not an exact science and thus the multitude of answers. "Where there's doubt there is no doubt" come to mind. Saved many a foolhardy thinking pilot that one, and ignoring has cost many too much.
Finally the pilot at LTN, many moons ago, Christmas evening, CAT 1 a/c, RVR 300m. Flew overhead 3000', declared field in sight and requested visual. Granted, landed, CAA reviewed the meteo and landings a few days later. More than a slapped wrist I remember. Long before SAIR's etc. Back in the dark days of mission accomplished = star pilot. But he still had his come-uppance. Things are more legally framed and the risk to very high. Your defence has to be more solid than a politician's promise.