The whole irony of this thing is that Beckles like just as much an "elitist" as anyone else.

I'm not against bettering myself at all. But I don't really see anything wrong with how I play either.
The thread has shown numerous times why your style of gearing is less efficient for damage and survivability than those of others, hence showing that you are going wrong with your choices. To ignore those choices and disregard them is to actually be against bettering yourself.

A lot of this "oh I don't need haste" talk must only come from anti-conformist mindsets that most people grow out of by their late teens. FFXI is based on numbers and math. It is not about believing in the heart of cards. Not knowing the math is fine; being shown it and rejecting it outright is not. It's quite sad to see such juvenile behavior in a supposedly grown woman.