i feel the same way when playing scrabble with someone who argues about the legitimacy of words like "xi" and "qat". somehow I'M the asshole for knowing words and alternate spellings of words.
i blame the internet. if someone hasn't read the wiki article then it's just not true.
i have a really bad feeling about the future evolution of the english language. if recent declarations of new "words" are any indication, this language is headed straight down the shitter. my concern is that street talk and textspeak will become so prevalent as to actually replace entire chunks of the language. dictionaries seem to have taken on an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude.