I've been thinking lately.
Alot of weaklings on the internet are usually turned away from a fandom or franchise due to generalizations and petty nonsense.
Gatekeeping in recent times is proven to be a GOOD thing as it prevents a fandom or space from getting infected with more spinelessness like that.
I knew this absolute scumbag that loved MegaMan. I don't play MegaMan because of a person like that. I don't play it because I don't care and would rather spend my time playing other games.
However, if I really wanted to spite a person like that, I would have played MegaMan religiously and gotten better at it than they ever were.
Generally, it seems to be a pattern where casuals always love to demonize more knowledgable, skilled or even competitive players no matter what game it is.
That's how you really get a gatekeeper to shut their mouth; you outperform them at their own game with a show of backbone through skill and knowledge.
I've gotten tons of Pokemon fans needlessly angry at me just by being knowledgable and skilled at a game I love.