There's a perfect face-saving thing for you to do at this point:
"Oh, Renathras, you're right. We're thinking SCH, and as you point out, we're right about how SCH played in ARR. You're also right that WHM did not, and that healing in FFXIV accommodated both styles side by side back then and probably could today."
That's the correct, rational response to what I presented above.
The only thing it would require is you to let go of the notion you must be 100% right, anyone not agreeing with you must be 100% wrong, and unless you get 100% of what you want, the game is in a terrible and unsustainable place and that WHM is actually about what it should be.
Now, if we were arguing about SCHOLAR being kept as it is today, you'd have an argument...
...but we're NOT, since I've already said MY PREFERRED COURSE OF ACTION would be to revert SCH to its SB state, with the addition of Expedient and Faerie responsiveness that's been made better. Do you not AGREE with that position?
Do you know how frequently her videos feature people blatantly failing mechanics, dying, or are already KOed?
Yeah. As do Mr Happy's. As do current groups progging - and CLEARING - hard content. If anything, it just shows that the game was not tuned quite as tightly, was not as unforgiving, and was not as "all about damage" as it is today - which, btw, further proves my point.
In ARR, damage meant using Cleric Stance,
Which the SCHs were doing in ALL the videos I showed you but the WHMs were not. I also found this video of Turn 9 SAVAGE clear:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biZ9LyDyfAE
Here, you will note the WHM casting more Stone 2 and Aero 2 spells and having better Aero and Aero 2 uptime. But a few things about that - this was in full ilevel 130 waiting for HW to come out by people that even self-described as being bored, but watch the WHM (and even the SCH) buffs carefully. Do you see what you DON'T see?
The WHM isn't Cleric Stance dancing. Like at all.
You also see, again, a lot of Cure 1 casts.
Even once these players had optimized and overgeared the fights, they STILL weren't playing like you insist they were. I'm not sure how better to prove to you you're wrong then by showing you actual evidence of you being wrong. If you still refuse to admit it at this point, you're being ruled by bias and desire, not reason. Moreover, I'm even pointing this out in a way that you CAN STILL BE CONSIDERED PARTIALLY RIGHT, you're just rejecting being partially right because...why? Because you can't accept a world where you're somewhat correct but not totally correct?
nd also WHM had far more restrictive MP problems, so conserving MP and waiting to see what mechanics were coming up were common when learning a new fight as a healer--
Again, watch the video immediately above this.
ilevel 130, overgering the content, waiting for HW to come out, group knew how to clear and did so while doing more of the things you insist were common. Basically a late expansion farm party and they STILL weren't Cleric Stance dancing and weren't as balls to the wall on damage spells. Indeed, if you look towards the later part of the fight, the WHM is almost exclusively casting heals and NOT maintaining DoT uptime.
You can blame this on MP economy if you want, but it still proves YOUR POSITION ON WHM IN ARR is WRONG.