This issue seems to come up over and over again and I find it hard to understand why it does.
Genealogy is a hobby for me and so is shell collecting. The same kind of pointless discussions come up among shell collectors. Some people have small, very focused collections – just one or a few families, all their shells in perfect condition – gem quality specimens. Many of them purchase shells from dealers. Others, and I am one, collect anything including total trash – broken shells, beach worn, whatever. Different people have different goals for shell collecting. Some collect them almost as art objects. In my case, I collect everything, never buy shells, am interested in them as living animals as well as dead specimens, and attempt to document the species’ distribution among other things. Purists would find my collection revolting, but so what. It’s a matter of taste and interest, not a matter of one way of collecting being the right way and any deviation being wrong.
The same holds for genealogy/family history. It’s a hobby and people’s interests, goals and approaches to it vary. What is there to get upset about?
