Fear and loathing or just indicative of the general nature of contemporary society........ and the internet.
Oh, fer' chrissake......
While I do agree with the second rant....the first one (if the phenomena exists, and as Pete says, please show us where...) is simply based upon a few pretty rock-solid notions:
1) Far more often than not, refinishing a horn is gonna devalue it.
2) As Bandmommy says, people are under the mistaken notion that it will alter the sound to a noticeable degree....which is also not the case.
3) In certain situations, folks with more experience on the subject are just trying to provide a caveat: pimping out your horn may
seem a hella cool idea at the time...but 10 years down the road, it won't have seemed like such a great idea.
With that said, I do understand the spirit of your Post.
The problem with Forums in general is...it's all talk (or writing). That's the only avenue available here....yet musicians are probably better off expressing themselves with their instruments or in person, than online.
At its best it can connect folks with similar interests and help provide very useful info. At its worst, it is the human condition to want to reply to something even if one has nothing to say or offer....and nothing makes that easier than the internet.
I would mention some serious Kudos to the Moderators here, more than on many other Forums, for keeping the personal attacks under control and minimal....
I guess I would invite you to look around more for the former sort of threads, because that is why I hang around here, myself....as for the latter, just go with it...or let it go....