Misplaced might be an over-exaggeration.
This issue seems virtually identical to the issues with SystemD. The establishment wants to do their own thing, after getting bored of their own principles, eventually someone needs to build a stable fork and all will return to normal eventually, so long as there are individuals that still care and still act like they care.
Part of getting bored of one's own principles is getting burnt out. That happened with pulseaudio and that happened with fastbooting SystemD.
Really this feels normal and ''probably'' healthy. Even whole organizations can burn out. I guess this is how to cope.
Perhaps, Luke, this aggression you/many perceive from these individuals is less arrogance and more a reaction to overwhelming pressure, don't ya think now that I say? : D