I think what people miss is that the biggest critics of the types you mentioned, for lack of a better term, have a secret crush on them and want to keep hearing

I think what people miss is that the biggest critics of the types you mentioned, for lack of a better term, have a secret crush on them and want to keep hearing more from them. If you really think someone's an idiot and don't want to hear from them, you tune them out. If you can't stop thinking about them, you talk constantly about them and all the "annoying" things they do. It's grade school playground dynamics.