OP took his time in attempt to create a guide and contribute to the community from his perspective. Even if you disagree with some points, you can at least try to respect that.

I'm sure everyone's been through this - you join a pug and try to complete a dungeon, yet the tank isn't pulling aggro, mobs killing the healer, or have your dps constantly die to avoidable aoes. Are you an elitist for being doubtful and frustrated that the party might not succeed even after many explained attempts?

Sadly there is no real way to check for skill level or in other words, familiarity with the game. But gear can assist your output, at least show that you put some time into end game. After attempting HM Titan I can be sure as heck that you'd be more willing to take someone that's full DL than full AF.

But extremity is never the answer. OP simply said no to a Garuda attempt as he feared might be improbable to pull off. He isn't declaring all undergeared folks to be garbage, in fact he made this post to guide them along. Nor is it okay to subject yourself to constant failure only because someone asked, simply to wipe the harsh reality that some bosses require a gear check.

If no amount of reasoning will be convincing enough for you, I'll just say what OP or anyone sharing this perspective seems to be holding back: you have no right to cry when someone geared refuses take you along for a run. They have their gauge of the difficulty and they obviously played a heck of a lot more. Don't then proceed to put yourself into the cradle of a baby and vomit on their boots. Take your pride and seek help else where. There will be geared players attempting to try the run as everyone gauges difficulty differently.