I would point out that the Internet is awash with wealthy people who are telling people who aren't wealthy how to become wealthy, and that everyone who reads a post by MMM or anyone else is going to look for key indicators that the person has something to say, and isn't just another grifter writing nonsense for clickbait or to sell books.
One of the metrics by which I evaluate such people is whether they appear to believe that thoughts are magic-- as in, if we simply think the right thoughts, money will come to us, health will come to us, and nothing unfortunate will ever befall us (or if it does, the right thoughts will make the consequences of that thing go away).
Usually grifters have stories about people who something bad happened to, but managed to make the thing they wanted to happen, happen anyway. And then they universally apply that story to every single human being who has ever lived.
For example, "I was on my way to interview for my dream job. It was an opportunity I knew was made just for me. On the way to the office, I fell into a puddle and got soaked through. I went to the interview anyway. Nothing was going to stop me! And they were so impressed, they hired me anyway. If I can do it, anyone can! Never let anything stop you!"
But it's very easy to see that this story is not very applicable if, for example, you were on your way to a job interview and got hit by a bus, and spent the next eight weeks in traction, and the position was filled while you were in the hospital. In that case, the strategies you will need to get your dream job are going to have to be substantially revised, along with your timeline.
It's useful to get lots of different stories about how people met their financial and life goals. It's not useful to be told that a single strategy will always get the same results with the same amount of effort for every single living soul who ever was or will be. The harder someone swings that line, the more I think they don't know what they're talking about.
Are there people who will simply raise objections because they just don't want to do anything? Sure! But I have been saying for years that there are probably a lot of people who would dig a little deeper into FIRE if they heard about it from someone who said, "Here's what I did. The way you do it will look different, but I think you can learn some useful strategies from my story. Here is what I would do in your shoes." Instead of, "Everyone who isn't doing it my way is doing it wrong. In fact, you're dumb suckers who are lazy and self-indulgent." Maybe that attitude is good marketing and drives lots of clicks from the right niche; who knows. I would like to see more inclusive phrasing simply because I would like to share what I've learned here, but I would frankly be embarrassed for anyone I know in real life to associate Pete's blog and his obnoxious rhetoric with me.
