Honestly, many of the replies here make it difficult to not get that impression.
While much of the whining that shits up every dinosaur thread on GAF may indeed be in jest, (in which case, get a new schtick, kids), some people seem genuinely upset at the realization that nature and its creatures are under no obligation to conform to their subjective standard of 'cool'. That's fine, understandable even, if you were one who John Conway has named an
AWESOMEBRO, whose interest in dinosaurs was on the same level of intellectual engagement as Transformers.
Yet the idea that anyone whose interest, (like yours), was in the reality of dinosaurs as once-living beings that science could come to understand so many millions of years later, could possibly be upset by the knowledge that they were every bit as diverse, beautiful and perhaps even occasionally ridiculous as animals are today, is, to me, simply ridiculous.
If all you want is a WWE-style throwdown between bloodthirsty reptilian monsters, fine; there's a multibillion film and toy franchise that caters exclusively to your demographic. Otherwise, for those of us whose interest lies within the science of dinosaur paleontology and what we can learn about their lives as animals, it'd be greatly appreciated if we could enjoy a conversation without having to wade through pages of 'BUT WHAT ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD!!1!' every goddamned time.
