I think I see (and largely agree with) both points. I have ridden (still ride, in fact) bikes with tires which have tested poorly for rolling resistance. I have even done very long rides with them, and enjoyed it tremendously. The fact that I know I was slower on those tires had no effect on my enjoyment.

But I also understand (and occasionally still am one of) the folks for whom part of the enjoyment is in going as fast as possible. For those people, knowingly using a slower tire would significantly detract from their enjoyment.

Sometimes it's hard for those two categories of cyclist to understand one another. Or even to accept their sanity.