My pet theory is that it’s a fairly technical hobby but a fairly difficult art form. You can master focus, exposure, lighting and post-processing and still end up with a very boring photo. Have these technically competent but artistically bereft photos that most viewers just shrug their shoulders at and it drives them insane. Cut to a couple years later they have a huge chip on their shoulder and take out their frustrations on beginners asking about what camera to buy.
Well yeah. The sunsets/flower photo crowd always falls back on gear. It’s all they got.