Interesting points One Outsider. Someone who thinks they know what they're talking about is much more damaging than someone who knows they don't know much!
As the original poster of this thread, I've become disenchanted with PPRuNe. When I joined I used to be able to post about all sorts of things in different forums and get sensible responses on a range of topics. There used to be an interesting and rewarding relationship between aviation pro's (e.g. pilot's & controllers), other aerospace industry professionals and serious enthusiasts.
Now I find too many pro's of various sorts only too willing to have bash. The assumption for some seems to be that if you post in the misc forums you're a pesky amateur and a nuisance.